Jaden Hardy Remains 'Confident In His Game' Despite Inconsistent Mavs Role
On Wednesday night, the Dallas Mavericks fell to the hottest team in the NBA as the Los Angeles Clippers earned their ninth straight victory, 120-111.
The Mavs were shorthanded in the loss, playing without Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and Josh Green, which provided an opportunity for second-year guard Jaden Hardy to step into a larger role and flourish.
And flourish he did, as Hardy scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from 3-point range in 23 minutes off the bench and played a role in Dallas cutting into the Clippers' double-digit lead on Wednesday. Despite fighting back from a 22-point deficit, the Mavs just didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to bring it over the finish line, but Hardy’s production was a bright spot regardless.
"Just taking my time, trying to get comfortable and making the right reads when I get out there," Hardy said of finding a rhythm offensively. "[I'm] just being confident in my game and listening to the coaches and my teammates."
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Playing his second-most minutes on the season, Mavs coach Jason Kidd was impressed with Hardy's play on Wednesday.
"It's great that he's always ready and he did a great job tonight," Kidd said of his second-year shooting guard.
Hardy has struggled to find a consistent role in his sophomore season in Dallas, averaging less points and minutes per game than his rookie campaign through 23 games. But, over the last six games while the Mavs have dealt with injuries, Hardy is averaging 19 minutes per game, including his two highest-scoring performances of the season.
If Hardy can scrounge together more consistent scoring performances like this off the bench while Dallas is undermanned, he may just earn more minutes going forward.
