The Utah Jazz have fallen from the positions of play-in for the first time this season after this Sunday’s defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies, which marks the tenth setback for the team in the last twelve games.
Currently, the Salt Lake City franchise has a record of 20-23 that is unusual in its recent history: they have not returned a negative balance since the first week of 2019. Since then, the Jazz have always placed at least 50 % wins.
The twelfth position that the Jazz occupy right now is much closer to the expectations that had been generated around the team at the beginning of the course. A start in which the Jazz came to be at the top of the Western Conference and which seemed very difficult to extend to the entire course.
However, the Jazz coach, Will Hardy, has insisted that the players should not be dragged down by this recent slump in results, but by the level of play exhibited and the general objectives that had been established, and that prioritized other factors. about raw victories.
“I liked our determination in this back-to-back. Our team continues to strive and fight every night,” said the head coach after the meeting. “It’s easy to get lost in the results but I feel like we’ve played a lot more good basketball than bad in this slump.”
Thus, Hardy stated that the important thing is not to lose focus of the season and to continue competing as the team has done so far. Despite their defensive problems —4th worst defense in the league— and the difficulty in closing games —the Jazz have lost 17 of the 28 games decided in the clutch—, the team has been competitive against practically any rival.
“We have to keep the perspective of our team and situation. We continue to have the right focus every day,” Hardy continued. «We have 39 games left and many things can change. Those results can go in your favor if your focus is good and you play the right way.”
(Cover photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
