Imagine the pressure of having to make a shot after Luka Doncic's incredible pass. Jaden Hardy was Luka's assist of the year receiver last season, and if he had missed, there would have been no assist.
Jaden Hardy has been an increasingly consistent contributor to the Dallas Mavericks this season. If he can continue in his assigned role, he would be one of the better options in the second or third reserve position. because He showed he can handle high-pressure catch-and-shoots.
Ah, the pressure. please think about it. You play with a superstar who can pass to anyone on the court at any time, so you have to be ready to shoot the ball at any time. And when you receive it after a crazy pass, you know you have to achieve it. Otherwise, you will ruin the moment and the highlight. If that doesn't make you shiver at all, you may not be human. But Hardy has proven he can hit these shots at a high level and is not afraid of the moment.
And the Mavericks need more players who can do that while also understanding their roles. A player who can receive highlight-worthy passes from superstars, stay calm and shoot consistently. Hardy has been doing that all season.
This is apparently where Hardy made his fifth 3-pointer of the night against the Jazz in January. Simple, efficient, easy points:
Hardy is increasingly able to understand his role within the team and where his strengths lie, and it shows on the stat sheet. In recent months, which means he's in 2024, Hardy has scored 46 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three. As Mavs announcer Mark Followill pointed out during Tuesday's disappointing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, he's averaging just 16 points per minute.
There's an argument that the Mavericks should dedicate some of Hardaway's minutes to Hardy in a game where Tim Hardaway Jr. wasn't at his best offensively and took some responsibility defensively. Opponents have recently taken advantage of Hardaway's poor performance defensively, particularly in team defense and rotation. That should be reason enough to reduce Hardaway's minutes and give Hardy a bigger role, but at the same time, if Hardaway is in a shooting slump and has a track record of bad decision making down the stretch, then Hardaway's minutes should be reduced. The need to increase is evened out. Stronger.
When Jaden Hardy eschews off-the-catch isoing and instead focuses on his downhill play and catch-and-shoot strengths, he's a very valuable player for the Mavericks, and he doesn't usually have defensive responsibilities either. . He's an average defender at best, but he doesn't currently stand out in team defense like Hardaway. He's fast, brings energy and hustle, and proved he won't buckle under pressure in key catch-and-shoot moments as he won assist of the year. And that's worth it at the end of the season and in the postseason.
This is another example of him understanding his role. He made a timely fourth-quarter corner three in a close game against the Wizards, showing he can step up when the pressure is high.
He's actually been one of the best players on the team in catch-and-shoot attempts this season, shooting catch-and-shoot threes 40 percent of the time, but he's shooting higher than that. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum, and Josh Green. . This is worth noting. That's because this is the shot the Mavericks desperately need their players to take (and make) to make their offensive system work, especially corner threes.
In some ways, Hardy is in the same boat as Josh Green. He also claims he can be trusted in pressure situations this season. The current starter and catch-and-shooter has also shown he can finish what Luka gives him.
But you won't know how your players will react when the light gets brighter until you're actually there. Young players often need time and experience to feel comfortable in a playoff environment. Like Josh Green, he has struggled in the postseason so far, but after several years of experience and success with the Australian national team, he may actually be in a position to be a valuable contributor this year.
If you've never been there before, no one knows how you'll handle this particular type of pressure. The benefit of playing in the best league in Europe (Dante Exum, Luka Doncic, etc.) have I was actually in a similar situation. Most young American players don't have that advantage, and neither Green nor Hardy entered the league with much experience.
It's impossible to know who will fold when the lights get brighter. But he's under pressure to step up and develop as a player or show he's not ready at this point.
If Hardy gets a chance, he'll be worth keeping an eye on. Because he is the type of player and character that can only develop in important moments. If that's the case, we'll be in good hands as the Mavericks already have two of the best-performing players in playoff history.
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