Last year, guard Jaden Hardy on average 13 minutes per game for the The Dallas Mavericksscoring 7.3 points per game on 49.2 percent field goal percentage and shooting 36.2 percent from three-point range on 3.2 attempts. While these stats aren’t particularly telling without context, it’s worth noting that from the 2022-23 season to the 2023-24 season, Hardy has regressed in nearly every statistical category. Of course, one of the biggest reasons for this was the acquisition of a guard Kyrie IrvingBut the decline in production goes beyond this simple fact.
With the off-season signings of guards Spencer Dinwiddieas well as Quentin Grimes And Klay ThompsonThe path to more minutes for Hardy has certainly narrowed. The question is, what does Hardy need to improve on to remain a rotation player for the Mavericks?
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Jaden Hardy’s biggest area of improvement is his efficiency when driving to the basket and limiting his turnovers when he does. Against Minnesota on Jan. 31, Hardy turned over five turnovers, almost all of them on uncontrolled runs to the basket that resulted in mishandled dribbles or errant passes. Some of those turnovers were due to him announcing the intended location of the ball when he found an open shooter, allowing the defense to adjust on the fly and intercept it.
To be fair, Hardy was asked to do too much in this game that lacked presence. Luka Doncic and Irving. Yet Hardy has an 11 percent turnover rate when attacking the basket off the dribble, which is partly due to the lack of an elite functional handle that would otherwise allow him to score or pass off drives.
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Hardy generated just 0.894 points per possession on drives last season, which puts him in the 30th percentile in the NBA, according to Sports SynergyHe’s also predictable on those attacks, as he attacks the basket from the top of the key 51.4 percent of the time, which is in the 80th percentile.
The solution would be to advise Hardy to be more careful when he drives to the basket – his three-point percentage is good enough that he can attack from time to time, which is a positive. But the key will be to play with speed on the ball. While he doesn’t have Doncic’s physical size to keep players on his back hip and limit opponents’ ability to dribble, Hardy has explosive quickness. What will be important is to use that attribute wisely and not play at full speed immediately when attacking the basket.
If he can improve his control and play more disciplined while driving, he could remain in the rotation and take minutes away from a player like Dinwiddie. Still, it will be an uphill battle for the former second-round pick, who had pedigree but needs to put it all together on offense.
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