Tim Hardaway Jr. Ready to Help Mavs After Injury
The Dallas Mavericks pulled off an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals last season. As his teammates gutted out two playoff series victories, Tim Hardaway Jr. had to observe from the sideline as he was recovering from a season-ending foot injury. Now, he's back.
“I’m just happy I can go into an offseason healthy, for the most part,” Hardaway said over the summer. “It was gut-wrenching to go out there sitting on the sideline each and every day and not be able to actually play and help the team go out there and compete on every single possession.
“But I did the best I could, for the most part, with Theo and the bench mob, just trying to be that energy giver, not the energy drainer. Just trying to come in every single day, work my tail off trying to get back.”
Hardaway suffered a fractured foot during a Jan. 25 blowout loss to the Golden State Warriors. It was a disappointing outcome that prevented him from bouncing back from a slow shooting start to the season. He finished averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 39.4 percent overall and 33.6 percent from 3-point range.
“Once [the injury] actually happened, two or three hours later, I was like: when is the surgery,” Hardaway said back in April. “I wanted to get it right now. I know it’s going to be a process. I know it’s going to be a road to recovery that I’ve never been on before. It’s your feet. It’s your foundation. So you can’t really mess with that.”
Alongside Theo Pinson, Hardaway made it a point to be a vocal leader for the Mavs throughout their playoff run. He had a front row seat to bring energy and to help assist his teammates when he saw breakdowns.
“To yell, scream, which by the way he’s done a great job,” Kidd said. “When you look at the bench when we started, we had a quiet bench. And you look at what Theo (Pinson) has brought and what Tim is doing, it’s night and day. They’re cheering for one another. They want everyone to have success.”
With Hardaway now being on the court to make an impact directly, he's still maintained his voice as a leader. The priority in terms of performance throughout training camp was to shake off the rust from being out for so long. With only two preseason performances, the sample size wasn't substantial.
"I think Tim is doing well," Kidd said during training camp. "Getting some of the rust off. It didn't look like he was rusty on Saturday (at Mavs Fan Jam). He shot the ball extremely well. He's playing well. His voice is being heard, which is great. Not just hearing it from the sideline like last year cheering. Now he's playing and still using that voice, which is much needed with our group. ... I think it's just a matter of getting some of that rust off."
It was only a matter of time before Hardaway Jr. caught fire from deep. In the Mavs' 115-101 win over Utah Jazz in their preseason finale, he scored 20 points while shooting 5-7 (71.4 percent) from the floor, 4-5 (80.0 percent) on 3s, and 6-10 (60.0 percent) on free throws. He was instrumental in leading the bench group on a 17-4 run in the fourth quarter.
"I thought Timmy did a great job,” Kidd said after the Mavs' preseason finale. “There was a group out there that went on a 17-4 run. We had great looks in the first half, wide-open looks that we just missed. If Luka and Spencer are going to create those open shots then we got to knock them down.”
Hardaway will be relied on to fill a key role for the Mavs' bench. His motion shooting ability and general scoring aggression will be instrumental in the collective effort to make up for Jalen Brunson's departure.
“We can’t replace Brunson. ... When you talk about Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway coming back, everybody’s asked this question, and we believe the points will be there,” Kidd told ESPN in the offseason.
During the Mavs' first-round series against the LA Clippers in the 2021 NBA playoffs, Hardaway Jr. was often a key complement to Doncic to counter the switch-heavy defense led by wings like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. It shouldn't be overlooked that he averaged 17.0 points and shot 40.4 percent from 3-point range in that series.
The impressive play that Hardaway provided the Mavs in their playoff series against the Clippers resulted in him earning a four-year, $75 million contract. Entering what will be the second year of his deal, he is set to make $19.6 million. Naturally, a big impact in a comeback year would go a long way, especially after Brunson's departure.
“I do think they are getting a different player,” Hardaway said of his role on media day. “I only played a handful of games last year. All I can say is I’m excited to go out and compete and give my all.
“JB, what he brought to this team was amazing. He had an incredible run and a well-deserved contract out of New York. I wish him the best. But I don’t think it changes anything here. I got to go out and compete and bring the energy at both ends of the floor.”
There are many layers that Hardaway brings to a half-court offense beyond spacing out for spot-up jumpers. He can do some scoring out of ball screens, be deployed in various off-ball screening actions like pindowns, flares, or corner pin-ins, in addition to being a general tough shot maker. These skills will be especially helpful when serving as a focal point of plug-and-play lineups.
Where Hardaway is especially valuable is when deployed in ball screening actions with Doncic. Whether he is deployed as a ghost screener to counter hedge-and-recover techniques or as a back screener in Stack pick-and-roll, his ability to shoot on the move and against a contest make for a helpful combination of skills.
The 2022-23 season will be an important opportunity for Hardaway to showcase his impact after his injury. It all begins with the Mavs' regular season opener against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at Footprint Center in Arizona.
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