Will Hardy: Elijah Harkless is our best defender

Mar 3, 2026 10:21 PM

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy explained his thought process on having two-way guard Elijah Harkless defend Nikola Jokic after Monday’s 128-125 home loss vs. the Denver Nuggets.

(via Utah Jazz):

“I think Elijah’s our best defender. There have been some other teams in the league that have guarded Jokic with smalls, and it’s about trying to wear him down, make catches tough. If you know a good coverage for Jokic, please email me. But he’s hard. He’s a tough cover because he’s seen it all, and he’s picked it all apart. But it’s about trying to build a sense of fatigue as the game goes on because every catch is hard to get. But I also think that’s Elijah’s identity. That’s who he is. That’s who we need him to be. And I think when Elijah plays like that, it raises the level of the group.”