Mavericks Rookie Jaden Hardy Has Proven He’s Ready for NBA Minutes

Now that he’s dominated G League play for several weeks, Dallas rookie Jaden Hardy has earned a chance at NBA minutes with the Mavericks.

A year prior to the 2022 NBA Draft, Jaden Hardy projected to be a top five selection as he entered the 2021-22 G League season with the Ignite. While he had a solid season statistically, his draft stock fell quite a bit over the course of the year leading up to the summer.

This was largely due to inefficiency as a scorer. The 6-foot-4 guard did average 17.7 points on his unique path of skipping college and going straight to the G League, but was one of the most inefficient shooters in his class.

With that in mind, Hardy was still viewed as a guy that would likely go in the first round. The lottery was no longer a realistic possibility, but certainly later in the first round was expected by many entering the event. On the night of the 2022 NBA Draft, Hardy slid all the way to No. 37 overall pick as the Dallas Mavericks traded into the second round to take him.

From there, the 20-year-old immediately established himself as a potential steal relative to where he was selected.

Through five NBA Summer League games in Las Vegas, Hardy averaged 15 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He still struggled to score efficiently though, shooting just 34.7% from the floor and 26.9% from deep.

Next came the preseason, when Hardy was once again inefficient but averaged 9.7 points per contest against legitimate NBA defenses and within a real rotation.

Dallas is a team looking to contend following a trip to the Western Conference Finals, so it was expected that minutes would be hard to come by for the rookie early in the regular season. 

However, it’s time that changes.

The Mavericks have gotten off to a slow start this season and have a record of 10-10 to this point. Many of their veteran guards have struggled, so a shakeup in the rotation could be a positive change.

Furthermore, Hardy has absolutely earned at least a shot with the Mavs based on his play in the G League. He’s only touched the court at the NBA level for nine minutes this season, which isn’t near enough for him to show what he’s worth.

The talented rookie has been the G League’s best scorer to this point, posting averages of 29.0 points and 3.4 assists through nine contests. He’s even proven he can score efficiently, shooting 54.8% from the floor 48.2% from deep on nearly ten attempts per game. He is even ranked as one of the top players in the G League in terms of scoring efficiency according to Cerebro Sports.

Jaden Hardy has been spectacular in the G League this year and deserves a shot playing with the Mavs.

Per @CerebroSports, he’s posted a 104 PSP (Player Scoring Prowess) and 104 3PE (3-Point Efficiency) with the Legends. This puts him in the top five of both categories.

— Nick Crain (@CrainNBA) November 30, 2022

Given Hardy’s primary roadblock as a prospect has been offensive inefficiency, he’s proven that he can overcome that and needs the chance to showcase this improvement at the next level. It’s worth noting he has experienced some turnover concerns with the Texas Legends in the G League, but he’s looked a lot better of late.

Hardy was recalled from the Legends and suited up for the Mavericks on Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors. Prior to that game tipping off, Dallas head coach Jason Kidd mentioned he would like to get Hardy some playing time in that contest.

By the end of the night, Hardy never got any action, posting a DNP. The Mavericks pulled off the win, but the coaching staff opted not to give him any minutes along the way.

Given the inconsistency on offense this season from Dallas, it’s time to give Hardy a shot. Especially off the bench being a primary scorer with the second unit, he has what it takes to be a true spark plug that can make a positive impact on the game.

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