Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — It was a fair question.
Ahead of Utah's 118-109 loss in Toronto on Friday, Jazz coach Will Hardy was asked: "What was the most important thing to keep the fans engaged during these late-season, for the lack of a better term, tank-off games?"
The reasoning behind the query: Another lengthy injury report from both sides.
The Jazz were without Lauri Markkanen, John Collins and Jordan Clarkson; the Raptors were without RJ Barrett and Jakob Poeltl. It's safe to say that if the game meant anything, those players would have been suiting up.
But both organizations have long been eyeing the draft.
"I think, ultimately, you treat your fan base with respect that they understand the bigger picture," Hardy said.
That bigger picture? Development and lottery luck.
Sometimes that's fun, like when Walker Kessler dropped 18 points, 25 rebounds and eight blocks like he did on Friday. The only other players who have put up that statline in NBA history? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal and Dikembe Mutombo.
Pretty good company.
Sometimes, though, it's not — like watching the youthful Jazz have another 20-plus turnover night.
"(Fans) know we're going through rebuilding seasons, but I do think that our players are playing the games in a way that our fans still enjoy watching," Hardy said. "Our young players play really hard and we're imperfect, and some nights are sloppy and ugly and all those things, but I do think the competitive spirit, the energy of the youth of these guys is something that our fans enjoy watching."
At this point, that's all that fans can expect.
The organization's goal for these late-season games is not to win; it's to see who the Jazz want to invest in (and if Utah loses, all the better — lottery, baby!).
Not every pick, no matter how high, will hit. There will be lottery selections who are out of the league after their first contract and second rounders that became key players on winning teams. Utah is trying to figure out which of its young players will be part of the core when the team eventually starts caring about the final results of games.
So Utah is giving more and more responsibility to its young players. Kyle Filipiowski playmaking? Sure. Isaiah Collier running the team? You bet. Throw out a group of first- and second-year players together? Why not?
That helps push development and evaluation.
And it also gives Utah a chance to add a potential star high in the draft.
At least, that's the plan.
In that sense, consider it a win that Filpowksi continued his recent run of play on Friday by scoring 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
So far, Utah's fans — at least if the Delta Center attendance is any indication — have been on board. The Jazz have kept their sell-out streak going through a loss-heavy season, and only a handful of those have truly been egregious. For the most part, the arena has been full and energetic.
"The fact that we're going through this time right now and still getting all those fans, it's incredible," Kessler said earlier this week.
And the same can be said for Toronto's crowd on Friday. Yes, there were some empty seats, but the crowd was loud and engaged, even if it was no secret that both organizations would have preferred to take a loss.
Hardy thinks there's a reason for that.
"For our team, it's been a point of pride that I don't care who's on the court, I want our fans to know that our team is going to play with a ton of passion and joy," he said.
The Jazz had that on Friday — led by a career-night from Kessler — and got the loss.
Just like management wanted.
