Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SAN FRANCISCO — Will Hardy isn't yet used to being done with the season in mid-April.
The Jazz head coach cut his teeth with the Spurs going on deep playoff runs and winning a championship. He was the top assistant in Boston, where he helped guide the Celtics to a Finals appearance.
So being done with the season right now still doesn't feel right.
"I have a deep longing for the playoffs, and for being a winning team," Hardy said. "And when you have two years in a row where that's not what you are, it burns the fire a little bit hotter."
A fire that should last for him — and he's hoping his players — all through the summer.
It was a tough season, record-wise, but Hardy said there are a lot of positives that the team can carry into the offseason. Utah's three first-round picks all had chances to develop and flashed some intriguing potential; Lauri Markkanen played near the same level he did in his first season in Utah; Collin Sexton improved his playmaking and efficiency and was Utah's second-best player.
There are some things to build on.
But even so, as Utah's season wrapped up with a 123-116 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, it was hard to shake the feeling the Jazz were a long way to getting back to the postseason.
"We all have a lot of work to do, and that's what's on my mind," Hardy said. "Let's get back to Utah, breathe for a minute, and then back to work."
For Keyonte George, the offseason will consist of plenty of homework, beginning Tuesday when the play-in tournament begins. George, who already watches more NBA basketball than most players, plans to lock in on the entire postseason. Sure, there will be some entertainment involved, but he wants to learn.
If he can't experience it, he might as well start to picture it.
"Journaling and just write down the things I can do, or write down what I see in these playoff games," George said. "So next year or in the following years, I'm able to step in and kind of know what that basketball looks like. Not necessarily know what it feels like, but at least I'll be able to imagine it; and once that opportunity comes, I've already seen it."
He thinks that will help him understand just how much he needs to improve to help a team reach that level.
Hardy said he wanted his team to get away to rest and recover following the difficult season. Losing is hard, trades are hard, and changing roles constantly is hard. They are physically and mentally tasked. In the same breath, though, he wants them to understand that this is the time of year when they should be prepared to play at the highest level.
"If we're where we want to be, however you feel right now physically, mentally, emotionally, we would be preparing to go play our best basketball of the season right now," Hardy said. "So you have to prepare your body in a way that you can endure not only an 82-game season but endure 82 games and then be ready to play in the playoffs."
John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are the only Jazz players who have played in the postseason. The preparation to be ready for those future moments will soon begin.
"I understand that I've got a lot of room to grow," George said. "My high school had this saying, 'Nobody cares, work harder.' So kind of living by that motto and getting in the gym and really work hard."
