‘Trusting The Work’: Rookie Jaden Hardy Providing Light in Time of Darkness for Mavs

The Dallas Mavericks blew another prime opportunity to have the upper hand on the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with a 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Despite the team’s mood trending downward, rookie guard Jaden Hardy has given Mavs fans reasons to be excited for the future.

With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Dallas Mavericks’ vibes are officially in the gutter.

In a nationally televised home game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday that was essentially a must-win for Dallas’ chances of avoiding the play-in tournament, the Mavs’ defense failed them yet again in a demoralizing 127-125 loss.

“The mood is not good obviously. Every time you lose it’s bad,” said Luka Doncic, who returned from a four-game absence to put up 30 points and 17 assists in the loss. “We have to figure out what is next. We have one more home game and then a long road trip which is always tough. We have to just refocus.”

Regardless of how the rest of this season unfolds, the Mavs and their fan base have to be thrilled with what they’ve seen from 20-year-old rookie guard Jaden Hardy in recent weeks. In a time of mostly darkness and inconsistency, Hardy had been a ray of sunshine for a team that needs every bit of positivity it can scrape up right now.

In his latest outing, in what was a high-pressure game against the defending champions, Hardy poured in 27 points in 25 minutes off the bench while also grabbing five rebounds, which was second on the team next to Doncic. He shot 10-18 from the field overall and 6-9 from deep.

“I feel very comfortable just trusting in the work I’ve put in at the gym late at night,” Hardy said of being ready in big-game situations. “When I get out there, I just stay poised and try to make the right plays.”

Hardy’s performance off the bench garnered praise from both Mavs coach Jason Kidd and Warriors coach Steve Kerr after the game.

"It was great, it was great. Offensively, he was great. Defensively, he did his best,” Kidd said of Hardy. “He was really, really good and just shows, again as we talked about pregame, his growth and the minutes that he deserves. He gave us a spark off the bench."

Added Kerr: “He was terrific. We knew he would play quite a bit, especially with Kyrie [Irving] out, but also with [Tim] Hardaway out. I thought Hardy kept them in the game. … It felt like we were right there to pull away several times, but somehow, they kept hanging in there. I thought a lot of it had to do with Hardy and his play.”

Although Kyrie Irving didn’t play on Wednesday due to foot soreness, Hardy filled in for the star point guard admirably, looking like Doncic’s co-star. Hardy credits Irving for adding to his confidence and basketball knowledge in a short period of time.

“Since the time he has been here he has helped me a lot,” Hardy said of Irving. “He is always in my ear giving me feedback on what he sees and thinks when I am out there on the floor.

“When I was younger, I looked up to him and watched a lot of him. I tried to take things from his game and add it to mine. Just having him here with me and him being able to tell me things and help me get better, I am super grateful for that.”

Perhaps the Mavs will be able to retain Irving in free agency this summer, not only so he can continue to build chemistry with Doncic, but so he can continue to mentor Hardy as well.

In a season that has largely been a disappointment for a team that made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, Hardy proving to be one of the better draft picks the Mavs have had in two decades provides hope for the future. Whether the Mavs make the playoffs or not, Hardy should be featured heavily in Kidd’s rotation from here on out. He’s earned it.

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