Two-Way Talents: Elijah Harkless

Heading into 2025-26, the Jazz have a rotation more wide-open than the Bryce Canyon. With most of their vets gone, Utah is a land of basketball opportunity right now. Every young player on the team will get a chance to show what they can do, even the two-way guys, and legitimate minutes could be snatched up by any of them. Exciting times for basketball sickos are ahead. Recent first-round picks including Ace Bailey, Isaiah Collier, and Keyonte George will be getting a lot of the hype, but one of their current two-way contract players should be up there too, especially with the way he’s been playing in Summer League. His name’s Elijah Harkless, and he’s ready to help build a winning foundation in Salt Lake City. 

Welcome back to Two-Way Talents! This series highlights two-way contract players across the association that are balling out and staking a claim for a bigger role. The goal is to give unknown players the attention they deserve. This offseason installment (the first of its kind) is about Elijah Harkless, the most underdiscussed prospect on the Utah Jazz. 

Harkless is 25 years old and went undrafted in 2023, but he made his NBA debut in 2024-25 with the Jazz. He played 10 games for the team, nine of them coming in January, and averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds on 31.4% shooting. Those counting stats don’t exactly stand out, but his impact was felt. He was the only Utah player to tally a positive plus/minus per 100 possessions last season. Harkless was a positive contributor despite his paltry scoring numbers because he’s incredibly gritty and plays really hard. Lots of young guys on the Jazz aren’t willing to do the dirty work, but Harkless is, especially on the defensive end. 

Utah ranked dead-last defensively in the association last year. That needs to change if they ever want to get out of NBA purgatory. The franchise’s new GM, Austin Ainge, spoke during a Summer League broadcast a few days ago about how the two Finals teams, Indiana and OKC, pressure the ball relentlessly on defense, and how they’re trying to instill that same system in Salt Lake City. As the team attempts to shift to a defensive culture, Elijah Harkless can be a leader. When his man has the ball, Harkless is like a dog going after a mailman. He attacks the rock like there’s no tomorrow and wreaks havoc. The UNLV product grabbed one steal a game in 2024-25 in just 13.8 minutes, and he had a higher steal percentage (3.5%) and defensive box plus/minus (1.5) than any of his teammates. Harkless has sharp instincts off the ball, and he’s a stunt-and-recover demon. He times reach-ins perfectly to snag the ball straight from the hands of clueless opponents. He’s a natural chaos creator. He’s also always willing to scramble and make an extra effort to contest a shot. 

Harkless’ exceptional hustle also manifests itself on the offensive glass. He’s just 6’3”, but he looks much bigger when he crashes the boards. The California native grabbed offensive rebounds at a higher rate than Lauri Markkanen, a seven-footer, last season. Watch him snag this one over two guys:

Harkless is a real difference maker on D, but what about the other end? As mentioned, his 3.2 points per game on 31.4% from the field with the Jazz last year aren’t glamorous figures. In today’s NBA, role players have a hard time succeeding if they’re not two-way contributors. Luckily, Harkless’ ten-game sample-size doesn’t tell the full story. In the G League, he averaged 21.6 points and made an all-league team. Besides it just being a small sample size, the reason why his rookie-year numbers are so poor is he wasn’t utilized correctly. Over 70% of his shots came from beyond the arc, but the specialist diet isn’t for him. He’s maximized as a downhill guard. Harkless needs the chance to use his lightning first step and veteran savvy to pressure the rim. He’s lived at the free throw line in Summer League so far, taking 5.0 free throws a game to 5.7 field goals. Don’t get it twisted though, our guy can shoot. He hit 39.3% from deep on 7.0 attempts in the G League. Overall, he has the dribble-pass-shoot and 3&D skill sets that all 30 NBA teams covet. 

Harkless’ closest player comparison is Josh Hart. They have some differences, but they’re both versatile wings with endless motors who play bigger than they are. Harkless could be Utah’s Josh Hart for the future, and they need a guy like that. The Jazz are building from the ground up, resetting the culture, and Elijah Harkless is ready to be part of the culture shift.