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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 captured on video attacking his players during a timeout, and he didn’t mince words when addressing the team’s effort during a game against the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’m tired of doing this every game,” Hardy was heard saying in a now-viral video on X. “Play harder!”
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Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy watches the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second quarter at the Delta Center on December 7, 2025. (Rob Gray/Image Images)
The Thunder silenced the Jazz, 131-101, despite playing without reigning league 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 got going immediately in the first quarter. They outscored the Jazz, 45-20, immediately creating a lead that would only increase as the game progressed.
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It’s been a rough start for the Jazz this season, as they are now 8-15. They aren’t the worst team in the Western Conference, however, as they sit 12th of 15 teams in the standings entering Monday.
But Utah is coming off back-to-back losses, having been crushed by the New York Knicks, 146-112, last Friday. Hardy, who has never had a winning season with the Jazz since taking over as head coach during the 2022-23 season, is clearly sending a message that he needs to see more from his guys.
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy reacts after a play against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at the Delta Center on December 7, 2025. (Rob Gray/Image Images)
Hardy owns a 93-176 record as the Jazz’s head coach, and is coming off his worst season with a 17-65 record.
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.
There is promise on paper, however, as guard Keynote George is doing well now in his third season. He’s averaging 22.2 points per game, while the Jazz just plucked exciting rookie guard Ace Bailey from 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 points (27.6 per game), while also averaging 6.5 rebounds and two assists.
Head coach Will Hardy of the Utah Jazz yells at 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 to make the first playoff appearance of his career as a head coach, but that won’t happen if he doesn’t see a better effort in the future.
The Jazz will return to the court against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
