Mavs' Jaden Hardy Proud of 'Not Normal' Rookie-Season Growth

Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy showed flashes of becoming a big part of the franchise's future in his rookie season.

After a disappointing finish to the 2022-23 season, the dissecting of the Dallas Mavericks' roster has began. 

Going forward, the amount of young, future talent on this team is rather slim outside of Luka Doncic, but rookie guard Jaden Hardy showed that he could be an important piece for years to come in Dallas.

In his exit interview on Tuesday, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison spoke on the growth that Hardy showcased after going from being drafted in the second round to becoming an important part of Dallas' rotation at the end of the season.

"Oh my goodness. Amazing," Harrison said of Hardy's growth this season. "[He was the] 37th pick. Started out in the G League, [then] to where he ended the season – just amazing."

Harrison continued: "Literally month-to-month, you saw that guy progress. I think he's going to continue to grow. He's a gym rat. Literally, if you go month-to-month and watch his progression, you can almost see it like a bar graph and I think he continues that path because he's going to be in the gym. That's just the type of kid he is."

In 48 games, Hardy averaged 8.8 points on 40.7 percent shooting from 3-point range in just under 15 minutes per game. In March, Hardy saw his minutes jump while Doncic and Kyrie Irving battled injuries, averaging 15.6 points in 24 minutes per game, which included six 20+ point performances.

"I feel like the progress I've made is not really normal for just a normal rookie," Hardy said. "Just being consistent with my work ethic. Going in the gym, listening to the staff, being a sponge to the players, trying to develop my game."

Hardy credited his time in the G League before joining the Mavericks full-time as a good stepping stone for him to work on his game and get live reps. However, he admitted that part of the year took a toll on him 'being back-and-forth' between the Texas Legends and the Mavs.

"Mentally, it was a lot of ups and downs for me just being back-and-forth so dealing with that, trying to stay poise and not really letting it get to me to continue grow my game," Hardy said. "As a man, I feel like I continue to grow, continue to mature."

The talented 20-year-old is both humble and extremely confident at the same time, and he seems more than ready to put the work in after a successful rookie season in order to take the next step.

"Looking back at my rookie season, it's been a good season," Hardy said. "Just continue to grow, continue to stay on that same path and work on my game."

Given his insane work ethic, year two of the 'Hardy Party' is something MFFLs can look forward to next season regardless of how this offseason pans out.

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