West Notes: Jazz, Will Hardy, Lakers, Grizzlies

Jazz

Will Hardy recently concluded his first preseason game as an NBA head coach, and his Jazz debut was filled with energy and excitement, and perhaps some nerves.

“Yeah, it all happened,” he said, via Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “That was the first game in that seat and there’s a lot of different things that go into it. It’s communication with the players, it’s communication with the staff and managing all those elements in real time. It was definitely an adjustment and a lot of fun.”

The Jazz opened the preseason in Canada — or Edmonton to be exact. Along with Hardy, they underwent a complete roster makeover, with the likes of Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk and Talen Horton-Tucker among the newcomers.

“Just like our team has to continue to improve, I have to continue to improve,” Hardy said, via Todd. “So you reflect on all those things postgame and look forward to getting after it again.”

• Sexton has been coming off the bench in the preseason, but is likely to be a starter once the real thing begins, as we relayed here.

Lakers

Just like everyone, Lakers star LeBron James was wildly impressed with NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama, who currently plays for French club Metropolitans 92.

Wembanyama has been on ESPN, with his team matched up for a pair of games against Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite. Both dazzled in their first matchup, making the future of the NBA look oh-so-bright.

“Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, but he’s more like an alien,” James told reporters, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is out on the floor… He’s for sure a generational talent.”

• Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, as well as co-owners Joey Buss and Jesse Buss were among those attending the second matchup, per Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register.
• For more on Wembanyama, check out our post right here.

Grizzlies 

Steven Adams said he believes in the future of the Grizzlies, which is why signing a contract extension with the team was a no-brainer.

“I never thought that I would be in the league this long,” Adams said, via Damichael Cole of the Commercial Appeal. “One of the good things is that it’s with an organization that’s doing something that I believe in. That’s what makes it really enjoyable. The guys, the culture. It’s not really like work.”

Coach Taylor Jenkins added that Adams is a nice frontcourt complement to players such as Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks.

“He’s excited about the challenges we have laid out for him to continue to be more aggressive on the offensive end, more versatile on the defense end,” Jenkins said, via Cole.