Dallas Basketball

'It's Going to Be a Long Process': Tim Hardaway Jr. Hopes Mavs Fans are Patient with Him

Tim Hardaway Jr. assures the Mavs' faithful that he'll remain aggressive through the ups and downs.

Michael Mulford

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Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is still trying to find his groove through six games in the 2022-23 regular season. 

Hardaway Jr. underwent surgery last season on Feb. 1 to repair a break in his fifth metatarsal bone on his left foot, which forced him out for the remainder of both the regular season and postseason.

In Dallas' 114-105 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday, THJ scored a season-high 21 points and three assists on 5-15 shooting from the floor and a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line. Hardaway Jr. looked spry and was aggressive with the ball in his hands, attacking the basket as he did pre-injury.

"I'm still getting into it. There's going to be a lot of ups and downs," Hardaway Jr. said after Sunday's victory. "I'm trying my hardest. I'm going to go out there and compete each and every time and stay aggressive."

With Hardaway Jr. missing the entire second-half of last season, you can view his return to the Mavericks' lineup this season as an offseason acquisition alongside Christian Wood. 

So far through six games, Hardaway Jr. is averaging 14.4 points in 26.0 minutes per game on 35.5 percent from 3-point range, and he vows to 'keep working' through the ups and downs.

"I hope the Mavs' faithful understand that. I haven't played since January. This is only my 6th game back so it's going to be a long process but I'm going to keep working."

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Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.

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