Elijah Harkless’ bold proclamation amid rookie season with Jazz

Before this season, Harkless had not yet been able to secure a coveted NBA roster spot. He went undrafted until the 2023 NBA Draft and got his start with the then-Ontario Clippers (now San Diego Clippers) in the G League.

Following a strong NBA Summer League performance in Las Vegas, the Clippers brought Harkless to training camp, but he ended up being one of the final roster cuts in advance of the regular season. He appeared in a total of 18 G League games during both the Showcase Cup and regular season portions of the schedule, before the Jazz came calling.

The Jazz signed Elijah Harkless to a two-way contract at the beginning of 2025 and he’s appeared in ten games so far as a rookie. One of the biggest things he’s noticed so far is just how good NBA-level competition is.

“I definitely learned that the intensity of the games is super high, I enjoy that,” Harkless said. “I learned that guys are really good at basketball, and that’s the biggest thing. I just can’t wait to get out there and show what I could do against those guys consistently.”

In the ten games that Harkless has played, he’s averaged 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals. He’s already top-five on the Jazz roster in steals per game. So far, Harkless has a defensive rating of 117.2, putting him third on the team’s active roster behind only Walker Kessler and John Collins, as per StatMuse.

While the defensive end of the court is where Harkless is going to have his biggest impact, he can contribute in other ways as well. His best game of his young NBA career so far came back on Jan. 25 against the Memphis Grizzlies. He finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals and one blocked shot. He shot 3-of-7 (42.9 percent) from three-point range.

But overall, he’s looking to add an element of toughness to the Jazz roster.

“I think I can bring a toughness to the team. . .I think I can bring that from the guard spot,” Harkless said. “It’s very rare that a guard can bring that kind of toughness, that kind of competitiveness to a team, and bring that character. I think that’s me.”

Elijah Harkless’ start in the G League

On a two-way contract, Harkless is going to spend the majority of his time in the G League with the Jazz’s affiliate the Salt Lake City Stars. In fact, he just put up a monster performance to the tune of 37 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Harkless has appeared in a total of 11 games for Salt Lake City. He’s been averaging 28.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from the three-point line and 70.8 percent from the free-throw line. He also recently participated in the G League Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend.

He credits his early time with the Clippers G League organization last year, and head coach Paul Hewitt, with helping acclimate him to the pro game.

“It’s helped me tremendously, it’s the same game. . .Paul Hewitt and that Clipper staff, they did a tremendous job with me. They kept me in a straight and narrow line and changed the trajectory of my career,” Harkless said. “Starring off on a standard G League contract, I had to prove myself kind of the same way I am here. I’m on a two-way here, I got to prove myself defensively before I can even get an opportunity to stay on the court.

“That’s the biggest thing for me right now, just stand on that each and every day. That’s on me,” Harkless continued. “You can’t win games without defense. Can’t win championships without defense. You can’t have a good team without defense. That is my skill.”

On a two-way contract, Harkless is limited to only 50 NBA games, while being ineligible for the playoffs. The Jazz are in a rebuild and not on track to make the postseason, and they only have 27 games left in the regular season.

With the Jazz focusing on young prospects and potential during the final stretch of the season, it stands to reason that Elijah Harkless will get plenty of opportunities to prove himself. He isn’t anywhere close to eclipsing his NBA games limit and there aren’t enough games remaining to up to that number.

But in any case, Harkless’ goal during the stretch run of the regular season is just to continue developing rapport with the Jazz organization.

“A successful season for me is building trust with these guys and building together,” Harkless said. “To keep showing that defense is attainable, showing that we can win games and showing that I belong in this league and I’ll be here to stay for a long time.”