NBA Summer League: Mavs’ Jaden Hardy Faced Big Test vs. OKC; Did He Pass?

The Mavs fell short in their Summer League opener against the Thunder, but it served as a helpful test for second-year guard Jaden Hardy.

LAS VEGAS — The focus of the Dallas Mavericks' Summer League participation is the development of Jaden Hardy. Ahead of his second season, the team wants to see the dynamic guard continue to sharpen his game. 

The Mavs fell short against a tough Oklahoma City Thunder team in their Summer League opener, losing 91-80. Hardy played for 31 minutes and finished with 24 points, six rebounds, two steals, and three turnovers. He shot 8-18 from the floor, 4-12 from 3-point range, and 4-5 on free throws. 

"I feel like just coming out, we just kind of started off I feel like a little nervous," Hardy said. "I feel like as the game went on, we got calm [and] we started to play together. Everything started to come together, but they just kept continuing to make shots and they went on a run.

"I feel like it was a close game, but they went on a run on us," Hardy explained. "So I feel like just staying together, sticking together, not getting in our head when they go on runs and stuff like that."

With tough defensive talents like Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Cason Wallace, Hardy was put to the test. Additionally, the Thunder often deployed aggressive nail help to disrupt high ball screens, making it more challenging to attack the rim. He wanted to emphasize playing the right way by making proper reads and getting teammates involved, but understood the need for him to be aggressive as a scorer. 

"Really, I was just trying to go out there, let the game come to me while playing my game. Playing the right way, trying to make the right plays, get my teammates involved, but by still trying to be aggressive at the same time."

Hardy's development in making passing reads being a significant focus for the Mavs. After his first Summer League performance, he mentioned that on a few plays, he could have slowed down some, but he understood the need to utilize the roll man or corner shooter based on how the low man was reacting. 

"I feel like when I get into the paint, I just need to slow down a little bit more, you know? But I feel like overall, I know I tried to make the right plays — try to get hit the roll man, read the low man when he was coming, and hit the corner pass. So just continue to progress on that."

The assessment from coach Jared Dudley highlighted the physicality of Wallace as the on-ball defender being disruptive. Additionally, early turnovers from the bigs deterred the guards from playing through them more. 

"Hardy, I thought, Wallace physicality bothered us," Dudley said. "Our offense. I thought once we played through the fives early on, they turned the ball over, so it seemed like our guards weren't willing to pass in the ball. But the game started to slow down for us a little bit. Our offense started picking up."

Next up for the Summer Mavs is a Monday matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, which is one of three remaining already scheduled games. 

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Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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