Utah Jazz Mailbag: Is Will Hardy Good At Developing Youth?
Dec 10, 2024, 3:23 PM
Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy and guard Keyonte George (Photo: Utah Jazz)
(Photo: Utah Jazz)
SALT LAKE CITY – Welcome to the Utah Jazz mailbag where this week we look at whether Will Hardy has proven he can develop the team’s young players.
Each week we will send out a prompt on X and BlueSky asking for the questions you have about the Jazz.
Then, we’ll respond to as many as we can in that week’s mailbag.
Mailbag: Are Jazz Developing Their Young Players Well?
Hardy is an excellent coach, but I’m getting concerned about the player development ability of him and his staff.
— Jimmy Robinson (@JimmyRobinson7) December 9, 2024
Question: Hardy is an excellent coach, but I’m getting concerned about the player development ability of him and his staff.
Answer: With the Jazz leaning into the youth movement this year, the team’s ability to develop players, especially young players is of critical importance.
They’re betting that not only can they select the right players, but that Will Hardy and his staff can develop them into stars.
But how have they done so far?
Let’s look at how the Jazz have handled every rookie under Hardy’s tutelage between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons to get a better sense of how well the team has done developing its players.
Ochai Agabaji: Agbaji was the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and was traded to the Jazz as part of the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster.
As one of the older players in the draft, Agbaji was selected by the Cavaliers to step in and play immediately, with the recognition that he had less upside than other players chosen around him.
Agbaji got off to a slow start in Utah appearing in 16 of the team’s first 39 games as a rookie and playing for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League before entering the rotation full-time at the turn of the new year.
Ochai Agbaji This Season:
12.4 PPG | 4.6 RPG | 2.1 APG | 1.3 SPG | 52% FG | 44.6% 3PT
SOLID🔥 pic.twitter.com/uffn7L5w4k
— MVP4 (@UTD_m4) November 24, 2024
Over his final 43 appearances, Agbaji averaged 9.9 points and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three.
The wing returned to Utah for his second season where his averages dipped despite being given a larger opportunity, recording 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 42 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three.
The Jazz traded Agbaji with Kelly Olynyk midway through his second season to the Toronto Raptors for a 2024 first-round pick (Isaiah Collier).
While Agbaji improved from the start of his rookie season to the close, he didn’t get better in year two, and the Jazz punted on the wing midway through his sophomore season.
Agbaji has developed into a reliable role player in Toronto, and they deserve more credit for his growth than the Jazz do.
Developmental Grade: C-
Walker Kessler: Walker Kessler was the 22nd overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies, but was traded twice before landing in Utah in the Rudy Gobert blockbuster.
Kessler had a stellar rookie campaign going from the Jazz’s second-unit big man to the starter by midseason and was named to the All-Rookie First Team.
sheriff doin’ sheriff things 🤠 pic.twitter.com/8LgkFGDaQX
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 9, 2024
As a sophomore, Kessler took a step back in his role and production moving back to the bench in favor of veteran John Collins.
While that looked like a developmental failure, the center has bounced back after his difficult sophomore season and has been one of the Jazz’s three best players in his third year.
Kessler is averaging career-highs in points (10.9), rebounds (11.1), and blocks (3.0), and is far outperforming his draft slot.
Developmental Grade: A
Simone Fontecchio: Fontecchio joined the Jazz after a strong start to his career in Europe.
After averaging 6.3 points and 1.7 rebounds as a rookie, Fontecchio’s numbers climbed to 8.9 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting an improved 45 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three.
Due to his advanced age not fitting the team’s timeline, the Jazz traded Fontecchio to the Detroit Pistons for a 2024 second-round pick (Kyle Filipowski).
Regardless, Fontecchio improved dramatically from year one to year two with the Jazz, and earned the team a valuable asset in Filipowski.
Developmental Grade: B+
Johnny Juzang: Juzang was largely an afterthought when he joined the Jazz on a two-way contract after going unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The wing played sparingly over the first 1.5 seasons of his career before averaging 8.5 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 48 percent from the floor and 43 percent from three over his final 17 games as a sophomore.
first 20 point game of the season for @JohnnyJuzang 🫡 pic.twitter.com/IIrptlggOn
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 7, 2024
Now in his third season, Juzang is a full-time member of the rotation averaging 6.7 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 39 percent from the floor and 36 percent from three.
Juzang has significantly improved from his rookie season, even if his long-term future in Utah is undetermined.
Developmental Grade: A
Taylor Hendricks: Hendricks spent much of the first half of his rookie season in the G League learning the basics of the NBA game before joining the Jazz after the trade deadline in February.
Over the final 27 appearances of his rookie season, Hendricks averaged 8.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and one assist while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three.
Related: Taylor Hendricks Offers Update On Leg Injury
Entering his second year, Hendricks earned a stop in the team’s starting lineup and showed an improved feel for the game, but was lost for the season after suffering a gruesome leg injury in just his third appearance.
Hendrick’s development from year one to year two was trending in the right direction, but the small sample size makes it difficult to know exactly how much he had grown.
Developmental Grade: B
Keyonte George: George was the Jazz’s most-played rookie last season, starting in 44 of his 75 appearances and averaging 13.0 points and 4.4 assists.
The guard has started every game he’s been available this season and is averaging 15.9 points and 5.6 points, though his shooting averages remain nearly identical at 39 percent from the floor and 33 percent from three.
Since Keyonte George’s poor 5 game start to the season, he’s averaging 16.7 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds while shooting a very respectable 43 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three on 7.6 attempts.
The 3.1 turnovers per game are a bit high, but he’s improving. https://t.co/s0dbCVrFT0
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) December 9, 2024
The guard’s per-minute production has improved in his second season, and if you exclude his disastrous first five games of the season, his shooting averages have also risen to a very respectable 43 percent from the floor and 37 percent from three.
Developmental Grade: B+
Brice Sensabaugh: Sensabaugh was also out of the rotation to begin his rookie year, spending the first half of the year in the G League learning the ins and outs of the NBA game.
The guard showed some bright spots as a rookie but struggled to shoot the ball connecting on 39 percent of his field goal attempts including 29 percent from three.
Sensabaugh’s playing time in year two has been inconsistent, but his production on the floor has been promising.
🎯 sixth sensa 🎯#TakeNote pic.twitter.com/XKWdBrzRfb
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 9, 2024
As a sophomore, the 20-year-old is averaging 8.1 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting a stellar 46 percent from the floor and 42 percent from three.
Like all second-year players, Sensabaugh remains a work in progress, and the Jazz will have to get far more out of him to be considered a true rotation-level NBA player, but there are clear signs of improvement from year one.
Developmental Grade: B
Among the Jazz’s seven rookies between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, each player improved, though Agbaji’s story leaves something to be desired.
The longer the players have been in Utah (Kessler and Juzang) the higher their grades are, and that’s a promising sign for the team’s long-term developmental program.
Hendrick’s injury is a significant setback to the Jazz’s sophomores, but both George and Sensabuagh have seen growth in year two.
Though the Jazz haven’t yet developed a true star under Hardy, there are positive trends across the board.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.
