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Jazz head coach Will Hardy is clearly fed up with his team’s effort levels amid a brutal start to the 2025-26 NBA season.
Hardy was filmed watching his players during a timeout, and he didn’t mince his words when discussing the team’s efforts in a game against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’m tired of doing this every match,” Hardy is heard saying in a now-viral X video. “Fuck, play harder!”
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Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy watches play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at the Delta Center on December 7, 2025. (Rob Gray/Imagn Images)
The Thunder silenced the Jazz, 131-101, despite playing without the league’s reigning MVP winner, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, on Sunday night.
But Gilgeous-Alexander’s absence didn’t stop the Thunder from burying their three-point attempts, as they scored 21 on the night and it started immediately in the first quarter. They dominated the Jazz, 45-20, immediately creating a lead that would only grow as the game went on.
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It’s been a rough start for the Jazz this season, as they are now 8-15. However, they are not the worst team in the Western Conference, as they sit 12th out of 15 teams in the standings entering Monday.
But Utah is coming off two consecutive defeats, after being crushed by the New York Knicks, 146-112, last Friday. Hardy, having never had a winning season with the Jazz since taking over as head coach during the 2022-23 season, is clearly sending the message that he needs to see more of his guys.
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacts after a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half at Delta Center on December 7, 2025. (Rob Gray/Imagn Images)
Hardy has a career record of 93-176 as head coach of the Jazz, and he is coming off his worst campaign with a record of 17-65.
Utah has been trying to rebuild since moving on from Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell in the 2022 offseason, but they have yet to put the right pieces together to become a playoff threat.
However, there is promise on paper, with guard Keynote George now doing well in his third season. He’s averaging 22.2 points per game, while the Jazz just took exciting rookie Ace Bailey out of Rutgers in this year’s NBA draft.
Lauri Markkanen also remains the team’s focal point, as the Finnish forward is currently on pace for a career-high in scoring (27.6 per game), averaging 6.5 rebounds and two assists.
Head coach Will Hardy of the Utah Jazz shouts to his team during the first half of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Delta Center on December 7, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Hardy hopes he can land his first career playoff appearance as a head coach, but that won’t happen if he doesn’t see better efforts in the future.
The Jazz will be back on the court against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
