Dallas Mavs Want Tim Hardaway Jr. to 'Accept' Sixth-Man Role; Plans for Starting Lineup?

The Mavs plan to deploy Tim Hardaway Jr. in a bench role to begin the 2023-24 season, but the veteran sharpshooter sounded surprised by the development on Media Day.

DALLAS — As the offseason played out, Tim Hardaway Jr. was unsure if he'd still be on the Dallas Mavericks when preparation for 2023-24 began. With two years remaining on a four-year, $75 million contract, the veteran sharpshooter currently feels "secure" as a member of the team. 

“I didn’t know if I was going to be here if I’m going to be honest with you,” Hardaway said on Media Day. “I took that time to definitely lock-in, control what I could control, work my tail off, stay healthy, and come back better than ever. I feel secure here now."

While currently, there isn't doubt about which team Hardaway will be playing for when the regular season begins, there is a need to establish some clarity regarding his role with the Mavs. During an interview with Marc Stein on 97.1 The Freak days before training camp, Mavs coach Jason Kidd suggested he plans to discuss a bench role with Hardaway to begin the season, with the goal of him competing for Sixth Man of the Year.

"I'm excited again for Timmy, looking to talk to him about being Sixth Man of the Year," Kidd said before training camp. "That would help our team and put us in a really good seat if he's up for Sixth Man of the Year. I think he's capable of doing that."

When asked about the possibility of coming off the bench on Media Day, Hardaway sounded unaware of Kidd's comment. However, his focus isn't on whether he's starting or coming off the bench. His focus remains on helping the Mavs to win games after a disappointing 38-44 finish to the 2022-23 season. 

“You guys heard it first from him,” Hardaway said. “I’m a hybrid, I guess, at this point in my career. Whether I start or come off the bench, I’m not going to be the one to have an ego or anything like that. It doesn’t get you anywhere. I’m just here to win games, just like the rest of the guys out there on this team. And any other thought is kind of a waste of energy.”

After the Mavs' final practice before departing for Abu Dhabi, Kidd explained that he only "briefly" had discussed the idea of Hardaway playing in a bench role, but the two will have a more in-depth conversation soon.

“Briefly,” Kidd said after Saturday’s practice. “I haven’t gotten into details, but we’ll talk about Sixth Man of the Year.”

“We haven’t talked about it,” Kidd explained. “But the rest of the coaching staff has talked to him. Right now, it’s seeing what we need. That’s one of the things for us to talk about, is for him to look at that role and embrace it.”

While the goal is for Hardaway to play an important role in the Mavs' bench unit to begin the season, it doesn't mean it'll remain his role throughout the 2023-24 season, especially if a matchup is better suited for him to start. He started 45 of 71 games last season, and in terms of regular season appearances, he's started 171 of 273 appearances in his Mavs career. 

“That’s something we’ll talk about, being able to carry that second group," Kidd said. "But that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be times throughout the season that he will start. When you look at the past Sixth Man of the Year candidates, they’ve also started at different matchups. We’re looking at Timmy being the sixth man, and hopefully, he accepts that role.”

Hardaway spent last summer rehabbing after undergoing surgery to repair a foot injury. He feels more athletic after having a fully healthy offseason to work on his body and to continue to sharpen his skill set ahead of the upcoming season. He feels more athletic and explosive now compared to when he was playing last season. 

“A healthy offseason where you can just focus on basketball rather than rehab [was big],” Hardaway said. “Stayed in the gym constantly, the weight room constantly, try my best to get better. 

"I think I’m more athletic now. I jump a lot higher now," Hardaway explained. "I didn’t really get a lot of dunks earlier in my career. But now, being able to run the lane fast and get out on the break, I feel more explosive. I don’t have to second-guess jumping off my foot or anything like that.”

The latest version of the Mavs' roster would enable Hardaway to play alongside Kyrie Irving in plug-and-play lineups when the All-Star guard is running the bench unit and Luka Doncic is getting rest. After the All-Star break last season, Hardaway came off the bench (nine games) more than he started (eight games). During that span, he averaged 15.2 points and 3.1 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from 3-point range on 7.0 attempts per game when coming off the bench. The bench group tends to play with a quicker pace while offering more opportunities to create with the ball. 

"You’re not going to get that many plays run for you when you play with All-Stars and those type of caliber of guys," Hardaway said after the Mavs' loss to the Phoenix Suns on Mar. 5. "So you got to find ways to get yourself involved in the game, whether it’s rebounding, taking a charge, coming off a pick and roll, or getting yourself a throw-ahead pass early in the shot clock, trying to attack and making something happen."

The Mavs' only confirmed starters to begin the 2023-24 season include Doncic, Irving, and Grant Williams. With a 12-day international preseason voyage with stops in Abu Dhabi and Madrid, the team will test Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Dereck Lively II with the starting group to test them. Doing so is meant to offer a greater evaluation, but one could start beyond that experimentation period. 

"Yeah, [Lively and Prosper will start in preseason] just to see how they handle different situations," Kidd said after Saturday's practice. "They'll start with Kai, Luka, and Grant."

From a big-picture standpoint, there is a genuine likelihood that one of Lively or Prosper will start for the Mavs this season. On the wing, the competition sounds open between Josh Green and Prosper, while the center position has Lively, Richaun Holmes, and Dwight Powell as potential options. While Hardaway's high-volume perimeter shooting impact was among the Mavs' top swing factors last season, a focus is to improve on defense and rebounding this season. To achieve those goals, a perimeter size alongside Doncic and Irving is an important factor.

"I think when we talk about starting them, one of them probably will be a starter," Kidd said after Wednesday's practice of Lively and Prosper. "But we'll see. I want to see how they react to playing with Kai, Luka, and Grant, but so far, so good."

The Mavs begin the preseason with a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 5 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.