Film Room: How Mavs' Jaden Hardy Showed Growth in First NBA Start

Dallas Mavericks rookie Jaden Hardy earned his first NBA start on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies. He continues to display progression in his development.

DALLAS — With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving sidelined for the Dallas Mavericks' loss against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday, there was a major opportunity for rookie Jaden Hardy to step into a larger role. The Mavs ended up losing with 112-108 being the final score.

In what was his first NBA start, Hardy finished with 22 points, two rebounds, and three assists in 37 minutes. His efficiency could have been better as he finished shooting 9-21 from the floor, 3-9 from 3-point range, and 1-4 on free throws with three turnovers, but again, it was a good test for him, and he impressed. 

"I feel like the team — we gave ourselves a good chance to win a game. A couple bad turnovers by me down the stretch," Hardy said. "But I feel like overall, we came on, and we played hard, and we gave ourselves a chance to win without our two top dogs."

The Grizzlies knew that no matter what role or how many minutes Hardy was set to play on Saturday, they had to be ready for him. The confidence that he plays with despite being a rookie is something that caught Memphis' attention.

"He's got a lot of firepower. He's got a lot of confidence as a rookie," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said before Saturday's matchup. 

When game planning for the Mavs as a matchup, the Grizzlies knew they had to come prepared to handle the dynamic offensive potential that Hardy can bring to the game. Without Doncic and Irving in the lineup, he stepped in and filled in a prominent role in the offense in his first start.

"When we've talked as a coaching staff, when this guy comes in, you've got to have full attention on him given that there are so many other guys on the roster that you've got to be attentive to," Jenkins said. 

Jenkins explained: "This guy is instant offense, he can play off the bounce — hard driver, but he's got confidence from the 3-point line as well. When rookies come in and play with confidence, it's something you have to be very aware of."

Hardy's confidence and aggression didn't take long to be on display in his first start. He came out of the gate by snaking a ball screen into a short-range pull-up jumper with Jaren Jackson Jr. as the big defender. He shot over a contest and managed to stay poised in the process. 

On the following possession, Josh Green connected with Hardy, who was drifting to the corner before the catch. After knocking down the shot on the move, Hardy had now scored the Mavs' initial five points of the game. With the defense loading up the paint on Green's drive, it was a strong counter from Hardy to provide the relief option.

One of the most intriguing elements of Hardy's scoring ability is the flashes he shows as a perimeter shot creator. It's hard to find players comfortable and effective at creating space and knocking it down from deep. He had an intriguing possession where he knew he didn't have the initial look, but didn't force it. He passed it to get it back and let it fly without needing another dribble. 

A significant part of Hardy's impact as a rookie has been aggression to attack the paint. On a roster that has deployed a limited cast around Doncic and now Irving in that regard, seeing Hardy make plays in this way gives a look into the future of what the Mavs could have in store as a backcourt rotation when Hardy is given consistent playing time. He made a few plays in this way in Memphis. 

There was another play that involved Green making a play before Hardy attacked off the catch. This time, Green tracked down and recovered an offensive rebound before getting it to Hardy to attack off the catch, and he wasted no time attacking the paint and drawing a foul to setup an and-1 in the process. 

Hardy has shown to be an aggressive force in transition when he has the chance to push it on the break. Thanks to a tremendous low-man rotation by McKinley Wright IV to pressure Desmond Bane on a finish attempt, the Mavs forced a miss and recovered the rebound, setting up Hardy to push it. With a defender back, Hardy navigated the play to get to the rim and finish. 

Dating back to his NBA Summer League action, Hardy has shown a lot of potential playing out of half-court actions. When there isn't a need to make a sophisticated read and he's put in a position to just channel his ability to attack downhill to make a play, he is highly effective. He did so out of a handoff from Dwight Powell before slicing his way through the lane for a finish. 

The biggest play Hardy made came down the stretch when the game slowed down and the Mavs needed someone to take control. He was given the ball on the left wing with Desmond Bane as the matchup. After using a hesitation dribble, Hardy knew he'd get the separation he needed on the step-back going to his left, and he took advantage. The game was tied at 104 as a result. 

The positives were clear, a combination of flashes that portray a versatile scoring threat once Hardy gains a consistent role. Given that he's a rookie, there's still room to improve in key areas. Defensively, Hardy did get out to contest shooters and ran off high efficiency players off the line when needed. However, there were a few defensive possessions that stood out that resulted in breakdowns. 

While Hardy made a big play to tie it up with around two minutes left, he did later have a turnover that proved costly. It's an example of the development process, though. A player that hasn't received consistent playing is filling the closer role on the road in a tough environment. With Reggie Bullock not anticipating the need to drift as Hardy drove, the deep spray-out pass was offline. 

It cannot go without saying, Hardy went from being out of the rotation to starting and playing heavy minutes after injuries, which is confusing. Opposing teams have been deploying full-court pressure against the Mavs' plug-and-play lineups when they have just one star. Hardy should be getting an opportunity to help keep the defense honest by having another threat on the floor.

There were some shortcomings from Hardy on defense, but the limited opportunities he's received throughout his rookie campaign hasn't enabled him to work through it at the highest level. Alternative options like Frank Ntilikina and Theo Pinson have often been utilized over Hardy as of late.

Hardy is a competitive on-ball defender that gives up some size against bigger guards like Brooks — as he showed when trying to contain him before a veer-step finish — there  still getting comfortable with the requirements of executing within an NBA defensive scheme. An example came in the fourth quarter when needing to make a low-man rotation without hesitation after the defense sent two at the ball as the screener made a dive to the rim. 

Hardy has made it a habit to put together some hot scoring stretches for the Mavs when he's been given the opportunity to see the floor. On a team that doesn't quite have that three-headed monster in the backcourt as last season, will he see more chances to make an impact off the bench during the stretch run of the regular season? 

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