Mavs Head Coach Jason Kidd Defends Playing Tim Hardaway Jr. Through Struggles; Jaden Hardy Contradiction?

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd says “you never turn your back on someone if they’re struggling” in reference to Tim Hardaway Jr., but how does it make sense to turn your back on a player that isn’t struggling, like Jaden Hardy?

After enduring a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday afternoon, the Dallas Mavericks have now lost four of their last five games. This skid has immediately followed a season-high seven-game win streak, and head coach Jason Kidd is trying to put the pieces back together.

"With being healthy, you've got to go through a rhythm and understand we've got guys coming back. We're looking at different combinations and we're still trying to win,” Kidd said. “We've got two new guys. We're trying to get them used to the schemes. There's going to be some breakdown and we've got to continue to be working through that.

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“The one thing that we are trying to encourage our group to do is talk. We can't take our phones out there to text one another. We can't look at Instagram or Twitter while we're playing. We've got to be able to talk to one another, to help each other. This afternoon, it was at a low. We have to be better talking to each other, being able to take that criticism and be positive moving forward."

Although Tim Hardaway Jr.’s play isn’t the only reason for the Mavs’ recent struggles — he’s averaging 8.6 points while shooting just 34.1 percent from the field over his last five games — it has been a factor. Hardaway isn’t a great defender, so when his shot isn’t falling, there’s not much reason to have him on the floor. However, Kidd seems determined to play Hardaway in hopes of him breaking through his shooting woes.

"My job is to put the guys in that can help us win and who are playing, but you never turn your back on someone if they're struggling,” Kidd said. “Timmy's struggling, we know that. ... We have to continue to put him in a position to be successful.”

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That said, though, how does it make sense for Kidd to turn his back on second-year guard Jaden Hardy, who has been shooting the skin off the ball lately?

During the Mavs’ six-game stretch before the All-Star break, Hardy averaged 10.2 points in 13.2 minutes while shooting 55.8 percent from the field and 52.6 from deep. In the six games following the All-Star break, Hardy has only been given 4.5 minutes of playing time and has received two DNP-CDs.

There are several reasons for the Mavs’ recent struggles. For example, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combining for 11 turnovers vs. Philadelphia on Sunday certainly didn’t help Dallas’ chances of winning. However, if Kidd is looking for an immediate spark, the answer might he as simple as elevating Hardy into Hardaway’s role going forward.