While “Take Note” may still be the official hashtag of the Utah Jazz, new head coach Will Hardy sold the “Team 49” identity during media Monday.
The Jazz are entering their 49th season as a franchise dating back to their humble beginnings in New Orleans, though Hardy used this phrase as a rallying cry for the identity of the roster.
“We know who we have and this is the 49th team in Jazz history,” Hardy said. “And that’s our focus, team 49.
The moniker may sound more like the chapter of a local labor union than it does Quin Snyder’s high finesse offenses of years past, but that might be by design.
The Jazz will look significantly different without Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert on the roster, and Hardy is leaning into the new, grittier identity.
“There’s a collective toughness, we have a lot of guys that have a chip on their shoulder,” Hardy said. “And I think that’s really powerful to have guys that are competitive and feel like they have something to prove.”
Despite having the top defensive player on the planet patrolling the paint during their three-year run near the top of the Western Conference, the Jazz were routinely outclassed by tougher opponents around the league.
The team’s perimeter defenders failed to keep opposing guards out of the paint in each of their last three playoff runs, while they struggled to maintain their offensive identity against tougher defenses.
