Mavericks Rookie Jaden Hardy Flashes Scoring Upside with Career-High

With a shorthanded roster, Mavericks rookie Jaden Hardy was a crucial piece in a big win.

Since entering the NBA, it's always been about getting an opportunity for Jaden Hardy. When he's touched the floor, he's generally been a spark plug scorer. 

Early in the season, he rarely got playing time as he got most of his reps in the G League. More recently, he's been given increased opportunity. In the Mavericks' past 16 games, Hardy has touched the floor in all but two. Over this span, he's averaged 12.4 minutes per contest. 

The 20-year-old guard has shown major flashes over the past month as it relates to scoring. In early January, he produced back-to-back games with 15 points over two playoff opponents. From there, Hardy exploded for 25 points in 26 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers just over a week later. 

As he continues to get more of a chance to showcase his skills, Hardy's ability to build upon each performance and prove he's not a liability on the court has been impressive. It's become clear that the coaching staff is beginning to put more trust in the rookie guard's ability to play, even in key moments of games. 

Following the blockbuster trade that brought Kyrie Irving to Dallas, the Mavericks are temporarily shorthanded until their new guard joins the team later this week. Furthermore, Luka Doncic is still dealing with an injury and currently isn't able to play. 

The combination of these two things led to Hardy having the biggest opportunity of his career thus far. On Monday night, the Mavs took on the Utah Jazz in a contest that he was top five on the team in minutes played. The former high school phenom poured in 29 points off the bench on his way to a +23 on the box score in a 13-point win. Not only did he get hot in crucial moments for Dallas, but he once again showed he can score efficiently. 

It really was a HARDY PARTY. What a night for the rook! 💦💦 @JadenHardy1 // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/i1NLbsFYRT

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 7, 2023

That was the major flaw of Hardy entering the NBA, as he had a tendency to only be impactful when he gets a large majority of the shots. In this contest, he scored those 29 points on just 12 shots, as he went 8-of-12 from the floor including 4-of-6 from deep and 9-of-9 from the free throw line. 

 “It’s just a game, it’s just hoopin’. I’ve been doing this, this is nothing new to me,” said Hardy postgame. “I’ve been playing pros my whole life so just staying confident, staying humble and wait my turn. I mean, cream of the crop gonna rise to the top.”

While this level of production can't be expected every night moving forward, it should make the Dallas coaching staff and front office feel good about playing Hardy in more minutes as the season goes on and even into the playoffs. While the Mavericks will still look to add talent at the upcoming trade deadline, some of their internal pieces are already starting to develop into solid role players. 

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