Mavs Rookie Jaden Hardy Performing At High Level: 'Luka & Kyrie Give Me Confidence'
The Dallas Mavericks haven't experienced a joyous second half of the season by any means, as they're clawing just for a chance to secure a play-in tournament spot with just six games remaining – an achievement that would be far below their preseason expectations.
However, the continued progression for rookie guard Jaden Hardy in an increased role has been a major bright spot for Dallas – not just for this season, but for the future of the franchise as well.
In the Mavs' latest outing, a 127-104 blowout win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night despite being on the second night of a back-to-back, Hardy was the team's second-leading scorer with 20 points off the bench on 8-12 shooting from the field and 4-6 from deep.
"Just staying ready," Hardy said of how he's been able to put together these kind of performances in important games for Dallas. "My teammates and my coaching staff believing in me and finding me when I'm open, and me just knocking down the open shots."
The 20-year-old walking bucket may not be a star in the league yet, but if his current upward trajectory continues, he could be there a lot sooner than most people realize. For a Mavs team that has been desperate for young talent with high potential, the hope is that Hardy can eventually make a big leap, especially with Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving mentoring him.
"Playing with [Luka and Kyrie], they both give me confidence," Hardy said. "Just always in my ear trying to help me. [I'm] asking them when I'm out there on the floor what they see, and them just telling me – it helps me when I'm out there."
Hardy even provided an in-game example of Irving coaching him up in the Mavs' win over the Pacers.
"Tonight I was talking with Kyrie [when] we were in transition. He was telling me, just like 'be aware of the clock.' And on the last play, he's asking me did I see the clock and stuff like that. ... He was just making sure I was aware of the timing."
As far as playing with Doncic goes, Hardy knows he must be ready to shoot at any given moment considering his star teammate's uncanny ability to air-bend passes to open players from any spot on the floor. This was on full display on Monday, as Doncic jumped in the air whipped a one-handed bullet pass around two defenders that ended up in a wide-open Hardy 3-pointer.
"Yeah, that pass was crazy," Hardy said of Doncic's pass that even had Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James tweeting about it. "I didn't think he saw me at first, and then when he saw me, I didn't think he was gonna be able to get it to me, but he did. So I was like, 'I've gotta knock this down for him.'"
Over his last 10 games, Hardy is averaging 16.4 points while shooting 46 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. With his latest performance against Indiana, Hardy notched the third-most 20-point games by a Mavs player before turning 21 years old, passing Jamal Mashburn.
No matter how this season ultimately ends for the Mavs, Hardy's rise will no doubt be a sign for optimism heading into either the postseason or the offseason. For a franchise that doesn't have a great overall track record when it comes to drafting players, owner Mark Cuban and GM Nico Harrison appear to have struck gold with the No. 37 pick in the 2022 draft.
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