The NBA is a dog-eat-dog world—a place where college players step up to the podium hoping for long, successful careers. Sadly, many of them will get cut or go undrafted.
Not every player is born with the talent or athletic abilities of LeBron James. However, there is one trait applicable to all prospective athletes that can help even the playing field: effort.
For a Utah Jazz team without anyone viewed as a blue-chip prospect, the lack of effort at times is becoming concerning.
Toxic Culture of Losing
NBA culture bears some of the blame for teams such as the Jazz, who haven’t felt incentivized to give their all in the past few seasons. With a 14% chance for each of the top three worst teams to win the first pick, many middle-of-the-pack teams find it more beneficial to lose games to secure elite talent.
Without a relegation system or flatter lottery odds, teams will continue to find ways to lose games on purpose.
The Oklahoma City Thunder proved that tanking works during their championship run in 2025. For years, they accumulated lottery picks. Those selections turned into players such as Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, now core parts of their future, as well as Josh Giddey, who was later traded for Alex Caruso, a key piece of the Thunder’s title.
Because tanking has worked, front offices continue to push the “lose now” mindset to acquire stars. Great franchises find talent regardless of draft position, but most top-end players still come from the lottery.
The lengths some organizations go to for draft capital often come at the cost of sacrificing entire seasons. But is it worth it? With the flattened lottery odds, many of the worst teams in recent years have fallen outside the top three anyway.
It’s hard to ask a team who has been purposely losing for years to just flip the switch and become good. The Sacramento Kings’ dark years are a prime example. It took trading for Domantas Sabonis, and adding a few players who knew how to win in order for them to escape purgatory. And even now, traces of the rebuild still linger.
When Losing Becomes a Habit
The scariest part of this year’s Halloween night was when the Jazz lost by 22 points to the Phoenix Suns. Two nights later, they met a similar fate against the Charlotte Hornets, losing by 23. Head coach Will Hardy credited these blowout losses to effort and sloppy play.
“Our mentality has to shift a little bit in terms of the energy that we’re willing to give to the game,” Hardy said. “And I have no doubt that our locker room will self-correct.”
Games like these two are just the latest examples of the beatdowns the Jazz’s young core has experienced. Blowouts were common during last season’s tanking efforts—and Utah hasn’t shaken some of those bad habits this year.
Poor shooting has been a major factor. Between blowout losses to the Suns, Hornets, and Minnesota Timberwolves, the Jazz are shooting just 38%. Their assists are also down in those contests—roughly five fewer per game—as players often try to shoot themselves out of slumps rather than move the ball.
Young, inexperienced teams often struggle to hold leads and lack the veteran edge to push through adversity—unless they have a transcendent talent to carry them.
Effort Changes Everything
Not everyone in the NBA will have a long career. There are simply too many players and too few roster spots. But effort can be the difference between staying and getting cut.
Jimmy Butler proved this. From averaging just three points early in his career to becoming a perennial All-Star, he’s a testament to what development and relentless work can produce.
If Utah’s young core can shake off the rust of tanking and realize their potential, the Jazz’s rebuild could be shortened, and the players might receive a very nice payday.
No More Masterpieces of Dog &*#$
Hardy’s famous rant has perfectly described a ton of blowout losses the Jazz have suffered. There’s a deeper meaning to the line, though. It’s about having pride and competing to the highest degree.
In today’s day and age, many forget what sports competitions are about: the pursuit of absolute domination, winning, and glory. It’s about competing and giving your absolute best to determine the victor.
Fans pay hard-earned cash to see their favorite athletes or teams play, sometimes even saving up for months to do so. The athletes owe the fans at least a competitive showing every night.
Not only do the fans deserve it but the athletes do as well. A lot of the players in the league are the best in the world and for them to waste their careers year after year, collecting a meaningless paycheck, is detrimental to them.
Many players find themselves cut from a roster and playing in Europe or the G League if a losing pattern continues, thus ending their dreams of competing.
“The NBA will stop for no one, and our program will stop for nobody,” Hardy stated during a post-game interview in March.“There needs to be accountability of self-first and everybody on our team needs to understand that opportunity should not be taken lightly.”
The young Jazz core needs to heed the warning of coach Hardy in hopes that they will have a roster spot in the league, and hopefully with tutelage of coaches like Hardy around the league, we might see a shift toward a winning culture.
The Young Core’s Crucial Test
With Walker Kessler out for the season, the Jazz need to step up defensively. Jusuf Nurkic is going to need to stand tall in the minutes he has. Taylor Hendricks as well needs to become the defensive dynamo he was picked to be.
The level of play Hendricks showed at the start of the season, when he was contributing to both ends of the floor needs to come back. Brice Sensabaugh needs to have a great offensive game again as well.
His playing career depends on it—if his poor shooting and defensive performances continue, Hardy will have to cut his minutes even more.
Cody Williams needs to find some sort of rhythm, as he’s already on the verge of being cut. Williams was put in a bad position last year, with the team choosing to lose and him being severely underweight.
Out of all the players that desperately need to show something it’s Williams. Hopefully with open minutes, Williams can hone his skills in a system where the Jazz aren’t trying to lose games.
Whoever it may be, the Jazz core needs to show some signs of effort and life to give fans hope. Once those fans are gone, it’s hard for a front office to make calculated decisions. If those decisions disappear, mistakes follow.