EXCLUSIVE: Texas Legends Coach Talks Jaden Hardy Development, Mavs Rookies’ Potential
With each passing season, the importance of the G League increases when it comes to helping NBA teams develop their young talent, and there might not be a stronger NBA-to-G League relationship than the one the Dallas Mavericks have with the Texas Legends.
On Friday, Legends head coach Jordan Sears, who spent two years as the Mavs' head video coordinator before being promoted in July, joined our Mavs Step Back Podcast for an exclusive 1-on-1 interview to cover a variety of topics. Out of everything Sears has done with the Mavs over the last few years, he says being able to hands-on role in second-year guard Jaden Hardy's development has been the biggest highlight for him so far.
"It was honestly probably the most fun thing I've done this past year," Sears told DallasBasketball.com when talking about helping Hardy grow. "I've had some involvement with player development in the past, but I was fortunate enough for [Mavs assistant coach] Sean Sweeney to allow me to take the time to work with Jaden on a day-to-day basis, and Jaden has made tremendous strides rooting from his time in Summer League with us a year ago.
"So to work with him, he's been a super-receptive kid. He has such a good, kind heart, and he's willing to come in and put the time in. But he's also just such a natural talent on top of that. So you mix that natural talent with the work ethic that he has, and I think the sky is the limit."
After spending the first part of his rookie season being the G League's leading scorer as a member of the Legends, Hardy eventually found his way onto the court for the Mavs in the second half the year, where he appeared in 48 games and averaged 8.8 points in 14.8 minutes while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from deep. With another full summer of work under his belt, Hardy could be poised for a breakout sophomore season.
Although it has yet to be determined if Sears will get the opportunity to coach Mavs' talented rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper with the Legends this season, he has still been able to be around for their development this offseason, and he believes they're more committed to working hard than typical rookies would be.
Dallas Mavericks rookies Olivier-Maxence Prosper [left] and Dereck Lively II [right] pose for their first rookie photos after being drafted.
Mavs.com
"Honestly, we've spent a lot of time with them from Summer league through now," Sears said when asked about his involvement with Lively and Prosper. "Because they've been in the gym every week, and they've been really committed to their work. You really can't find guys like who are just so genuine and are just so focused and committed to learning. I think those are two of the best young guys I've seen with that. They're very mature in their approach on the day-to-day, [and] they understand what they don't know."
Mavs player development coach and former championship-winning center Tyson Chandler has taken Lively under his wing this summer, and said the 19-year-old big man has been "a sponge" all summer. Sears reinforced that assessment with he's seen this offseason as well.
"They're excited to have these resources, to have these coaches. On a daily basis, they're just trying to soak up everything they can," Sears said. "For them, I think they've grown tremendously, even [just] from Summer League, and they're going to continue to grow this year regardless of whether they're with the Mavs or the Legends just because of their approach. It starts there with their foundation. Their mental makeup, I think is phenomenal."
Before being handed the head-coaching reigns with the Legends, Sears had to work his way up through the video room. He has put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is now, but he says none of it would be possible without the guidance of Mavs head coach Jason Kidd and his staff.
"I started in 2021 as the [Mavs'] head video coordinator, and spent this past season as the head video coordinator as well," Sears said. "I think one of the best things about coach Kidd and his staff through these two years has been that they've prioritized my development and the development of the video room, which I think has just been so exciting and boosts that level of investment.
"As grueling as the video room is, people want to ultimately see the fruits of their labor and be able to coach, be able to work guys out, be able to use their voice, be able to have their opinions be heard. So I was very fortunate for those things."
Sears believes that the experience he's gained from being around Kidd and his staff will help his transition into coaching the Legends be a seamless one.
"Just being close to J-Kidd in terms of being his video coordinator and having to help organize his things has allowed me the opportunity to kind of step into this role [with the Legends] a little bit better. But it's all the credit to him and to his staff."
You can listen to the entire 20-minute interview with coach Sears below, where he goes into even more detail on Hardy, Lively, Prosper, his time working with the Mavs, and much more. As always, thanks for listening, and be sure to hit that subscribe button on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts.
