Dallas Mavs' Jaden Hardy, O-Max Prosper Face Major Development Test Against OKC Thunder

With the Mavs set to play without eight rotation players against the Thunder on Sunday, Jaden Hardy and Olivier-Maxence Prosper face a major test.

Apr 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) controls the bal as Detroit / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — When the Dallas Mavericks face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, their opponent will compete for the first seed in the Western Conference standings. Meanwhile, the Mavs will be sitting eight rotation players.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green are the only players who will be available for the Mavs who have logged at least 1,000 minutes this season. How long they will play in Oklahoma City remains to be seen since coach Jason Kidd alluded to everyone having a minute restriction.

“Four of the five starters from [Friday] won’t play in Oklahoma City,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. “Timmy [Hardaway Jr.] is the only one that’s going to play, so understanding what we’re walking into in Oklahoma. They’re playing for the No. 1 seed after Denver lost. We’ll be ready to go.”

Apr 12, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) controls the bal as Detroit / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The focus will be the development of Jaden Hardy and Olivier-Maxence Prosper against a top Western Conference rival in a hostile environment. Both players had a strong showing in Friday's loss against the Detroit Pistons, with Hardy totaling 25 points, seven rebounds, and two assists, while Prosper racked up 16 points, six rebounds, two steals, and one block.

"Sunday, we're trying to get the win, so locking in on the game," Hardy said. "Playing and doing what we need to do, and I'm very confident we can get the win."

The Mavs are optimistic about the improvement both players showed against Detroit. Kidd characterized Hardy and Prosper as "very promising" yet highlighted that while there isn't room for them to play significant minutes currently, this could change next season. Considering the typical offseason uncertainties like departures and trades, Dallas is confident that, if needed, these prospects will be prepared to take on larger roles.

“It’s very promising when you talk about Hardy and O-Max, just the development and depth that you can see,” Kidd said. “Those two didn’t get a lot of minutes this season because of our depth. As we move forward with contracts and trades, those are two young guys that can fill the spots if others are gone or hurt.”

Since competing in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Hardy has continued to work on progressing at initiating the offense and making passing reads while continuing to find the proper balance of being aggressive as a scorer. Hardy will undoubtedly face a similar challenge against the Thunder's defense, ranked fourth in defensive rating (111.4) in the season.

"Personally, for me, just continue to, when I'm out there, slow down and read the floor, find my teammates," Hardy said. "Offensively, I feel like when the game just comes to me, I can score. Just playing my game and being aggressive when I'm out there."

Prosper, who was Hardy's teammate on the Summer Mavs, has noticed the second-year guard has achieved development strides, describing him as being a more poised offensive threat.

“I just feel like he’s more under control now, and he’s able to get to a spot whenever he wants,” Prosper said of Hardy. “His offensive game is just so smooth. He’s a born scorer. Today is just a testament to what he can do out there. He’s aggressive every time he’s on the floor, and we know that whatever shot he takes, he can make it.”

Part of Hardy's ongoing development as an initiator is his ability to make passing reads, whether he's reading the weak-side low defender or getting downhill to play with pace before throwing a late lob, with every general pass in between. Prosper notices Hardy is making more anticipatory reads when creating and envisions further progress being achieved in his career.

“He’s progressed a lot in that area,” Prosper said. “He just sees things before they happen more. He makes better reads, especially as he gets in the paint. He knows what the lob is. That just shows his versatility. We already know he can score, and now he’s adding that to his game; he’s just going to get better and better.”

Prosper remains intentional about playing with pace while learning from his teammates and adjusting to the NBA style. As long as he keeps improving his decision-making and choosing the right shots, it's a move towards progress.

"The biggest thing is just slowing down," Prosper said. "Slowing down out there, seeing what's in front of me, taking the right shots, and just learning how to play with my teammates."

Although there's a lot of emphasis on refining Prosper's perimeter shooting and his skill in creating plays off the dribble, he recognizes the importance of his defensive contributions to his NBA career and keeps it a key focus of his development.

"I didn't play as much with them this year, but just keep learning how to play with them and just keep working on my efficiency and my defense," Prosper said. "Defense is a big key of my game, and I take a lot of pride in that. And, you know, I'm going to end up guarding the best wings in the world. So I got to keep working on that, and that's what I focus on."

After Prosper's performance against the Pistons, Hardy praised the 6-foot-8 wing for the energy he continues to play with by doing the dirty work.

"I feel like O-Max did a great job today; it came on and played with energy," Hardy said. "I feel like you see him as soon as he stepped on the floor, the impact he had with all his energy, hustling around, trying to grab rebounds, stuff like that. That's what made O-Max such a great player, his energy, and I'm super excited to continue to see his growth."

It's not a coincidence Prosper left Hardy with that impression. He understands the importance of impacting the game defensively and wants to take on the challenge of guarding the opposing team's best players as he continues to grow into that type of role. With Oklahoma City having every player available against Dallas, Prosper could face guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Jalen Williams, depending on how the defensive game plan shakes out.

Like most G League affiliates with their NBA teams, the Texas Legends employ strategies similar to those of the Mavs. Instead of merely observing from the bench, Prosper has taken advantage of getting more practice with these concepts, which has helped him further develop his skills. He averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists with the Legends, shooting 51.2% from the floor, 42.5% from 3-point range (5.3 attempts per game), and 76.7% on free throws.

"It helped me a lot, as you guys can see now," Prosper said. "It's just like, being in the G... Don't get me wrong, I would love to be up here and play here. This is the opportunity I had, and I took full advantage of it. I knew it was going to help me with my development and me getting more comfortable.

"There are good players in the G League, so you get good games and then just being able to play out there," Prosper explained. "And then now bringing back here, and then like a game like today, I just felt comfortable out there. It didn't feel like it was new territory."

Like Prosper, Hardy started his rookie season with the Legends but came with prior experience competing in the G League due to his time as a standout prospect with the G League Ignite program, opting for this route over college basketball.

"I feel like he's been able to go down there and get some reps and be that guy down there and be confident," Hardy said of Prosper. "They're giving him confidence down there, and I feel like he was able to go down there and work on his game.

"Once you go down there hooping, it's pretty much the same things, different players," Hardy explained. "So just once he came back up, I figured he was pretty much confident out there and more comfortable. And I feel like the guys, but our team has a great group of guys who cheer for each other. So we wanted to see him."