Mavs Ex J.J. Redick: Summer League 'Opportunity to Improve' for Jaden Hardy

Heading into Summer League, Mavs second-yard guard Jaden Hardy has the opportunity to have the keys in his hands and showcase his skills as the go-to guy.

The Dallas Mavericks made a splash on draft night and during the start of free agency to bring in a whole new cast of talent around Luka Doncic and recently re-signed Kyrie Irving.

Of those new additions, we'll see many of them get signifcant run in with the Mavs Summer League team starting this weekend in Las Vegas, including rookies Dereck Lively II, OMax Prosper, and sophomore guard Jaden Hardy.

In Friday's episode of The Old Man & The Three with J.J. Redick & Tommy Alter, former Maverick J.J. Redick spoke on betting odds for Summer League MVP and how important the opportunity is for many young players, which included Mavs guard Jaden Hardy.

"For a guy like Jaden Hardy to have the ball in his hands more, he showed some really good play towards the end of the season when he was in the rotation after the trade," Redick said.

At the time of Redick recording his podcast, Hardy held +2500 odds to win Summer League MVP. If we were placing bets, that sounds like a pretty good chance for a player of Hardy's caliber heading to Las Vegas.

In his rookie season, Hardy averaged 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 40 percent from downtown. But in the final 16 games, in which he started five, Hardy's averages jumped to 13.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 21 minutes per game while shooting 45.3 percent from 3-point range in over five attempts per night.

"I think he's a really talented guy and I think for any young guy, you have to look at it as an opportunity to improve," Redick said of Hardy.

Hardy met with the media following practice this week, where he spoke on what his goals are for Summer League. 

"Just continue to develop my game," Hardy said. "You know, polish my tools, getting stronger, getting faster, and continue to learn the defensive concepts here and continue to better myself and continue to learn and grow."

Hardy is expected to see a jump in minutes for this upcoming season, especially with the understanding that Dallas is actively seeking to trade Tim Hardaway Jr, which says all you need to know about how the Mavericks view their second-year guard.

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