NBA Draft: Jaden Hardy Has Star Potential

Oklahoma City can add to its star studded backcourt with boatload of picks in the NBA Draft.

Jaden Hardy could be a home run pick for the Thunder with a late first round pick. Banking on his star potential could pay off down the line for Oklahoma City, a team that is willing to be patient.

Hardy was a projected top-five pick just a year ago. After an up-and-down season for the G League Ignite, the potential is still there. But, many people worry about the efficiency. He still had big nights in the G League, but his shooting splits weren’t great.

Jaden Hardy finishes with 31 points and 9 assists on 13/19 from the field.

Best performance of the season and a much needed bounce back game. pic.twitter.com/Jp47kilL4T

— Keandre Ashley (@HoopIntelllect) January 29, 2022

Despite shooting just 35.1% from the floor, Hardy still averaged 17.7 points per game. He’s also an underrated distributor, as he averaged 3.2 assists per night. Hardy shot just 26.9% from the 3-point line, but his jumper seems like a solid bet to improve with an 88.2% clip at the free-throw line.

If Oklahoma City is swinging for the fences and trying to land a star Hardy could be a value pick in the draft. He’s slotted to go in the late-first round in most mock drafts, which could be a spot the Thunder move up to. Even though Oklahoma City has a promising young backcourt, there’s nothing wrong with taking the best player available with plenty of star potential.

In high school, Hardy was the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2021 after averaging 30.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game.

He’s a special shot creator and is a better shooter than his numbers show. Hardy would benefit from playing with two elite creators in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey, who would provide more open looks for him. Poor spacing is one of the main reasons his percentages were low in the G League.

While Tre Mann is a great microwave scorer off the bench, Oklahoma City could still use a backup point guard. Hardy is more of a hybrid guard, but he could man the second unit and get others involved.

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