This article was first published as the Jazz Insiders newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Friday.
On Feb. 5, shortly before the Utah Jazz played the Golden State Warriors at the Delta Center, head coach Will Hardy was asked about handshakes, high-fives and whether he thought they matter in terms of how a team performs.
I think there are two pieces of context that are very important for readers to know before reading his response.
First, Hardy has often noted that what he misses most about playing basketball is the feeling of being on a team. He craves camaraderie and brotherhood and it’s one of the things he truly believes in when it comes to creating a sustainable culture.
Second, Hardy has an incredibly sarcastic and dry sense of humor. At the same time, he is smart and deliberate with the things that he says. He is not flippant with his words.
I’ll break Hardy’s response up into two parts.
“I think that sports is incredibly superstitious, no matter how much you don’t want it to be,” he said. “I think everybody has routines. I think we all have things that we do. Now that I’m thinking about it, there’s things that I do right before tipoff every game that don’t necessarily mean anything, but it is a part of my own routine and sort of the connection I have with everybody else. I think those little things do add up in terms of building connection and keeping connection with your teammates. I would never nitpick and say, ‘Stop doing that.’ It’s probably part of the childhood fun being on a team, as well as the camaraderie with your teammates.”
I think that first part of his response really speaks to what kind of a coach Hardy is and what he’s trying to build with his players.
Throughout the next part of Hardy’s response, he was chuckling, giving some eye rolls and giving the appearance of being tongue in cheek. But, as I said before, I don’t think that Hardy ever says anything with insincerity.
“We should probably do a deep dive into how all these handshakes are created, I don’t know what that process is,” Hardy said. “Keyonte recently started a handshake with me, so I have to remember that. Now, the second piece of that is, the fact that we can remember 18 handshakes and 75 TikTok dances, but not all our side out-of-bounds plays, that’s a whole different story. Your brain is capable, you just have to direct in the right place.”
There is maybe nothing that grinds Hardy’s gears more than lack of attention to detail and lack of effort. And while I think that he was certainly making a joke at the players’ expense, he is also making an important point.
That point is that if you want to enjoy the fruits of being in the NBA, if you want to continue on with a life that provides constant camaraderie and joy from playing a game, you also have to be dedicated in your commitment to the craft.
New with the Jazz
Quote of the week
“Go Browns!” — Micah Potter when asked who he has winning the Super Bowl.
From the archives
Extra points
- KJ Martin joins a Jazz team invested in youth and maximizing potential (Deseret News)
- Should the NBA trade deadline be moved? (Deseret News)
- Delon Wright was recently traded to his 10th team in 10 seasons (Deseret News)
- Asset cupboard stocked after Jazz’s trade deadline moves (Deseret News)
Around the league
- Mavericks suffer another blow, Daniel Gafford out at least six weeks
- Pat Riley gives ‘three-peat’ trademark revenue to charities
- Following Fox trade, Kings sign Markelle Fultz
Up next
- Feb. 14 | 5 p.m. MST | NBA All-Star Celebrity Game | ESPN
- Feb. 14 | 7 p.m. MST | NBA All-Star Rising Stars Tournament | TNT
- Feb. 15 | 6 p.m. MST | NBA All-Star Saturday night | TNT
- Feb. 16 | 6 p.m. MST | 74th NBA All-Star Game | TNT