What Hardaway Jr. Skill Mavs Think is 'NBA-Best'
DALLAS – Once regarded as a salary dump by the New York Knicks, Tim Hardaway Jr. has become “the biggest surprise” to Mavs owner Mark Cuban in Dallas’ trade for Kristaps Porzingis.
When asked recently about the budding duo of Mavs stars Porzingis and Luka Doncic, Cuban couldn’t hold back his praise for Hardaway’s development into a key role player for the Mavericks.
“Don’t sleep on Timmy Hardaway Jr. ... Timmy has been the biggest surprise,” Cuban told WFAN in New York. “We knew Porzingis was good, but Timmy, now he’s just catch-and-shoot and has been lights-out.”
Hardaway Jr. answered the call as Mavs’ true third option on the offensive end of the floor. The former Knicks swingman has looked at ease and at home in Dallas, shooting a career-high 40.7 percent from beyond the arc and bringing needed perimeter defense at a surprising level, too. His 44.2 percent catch-and-shoot field-goal percentage is an indictment to what Cuban believes is Hardaway Jr.’s best skill.
“Quickest release in the NBA,'' Cuban continued. "Probably one of the top-3 catch-and-shoot players in all of the NBA now.
"It took a little while. Right after the trade, he wasn’t quite confident of his role and we were asking him to do different things than the Knicks did, but with Luka getting him the ball, it’s just a sight to see.”
Hardaway’s efficiency and his emergence as a locker-room leader full of energy has had a great impact on the Mavs, who are en route to their first playoff appearance since 2016. The seventh-year guard’s contributions - including his recent 30-point nights - have impressed Cuban, who has indicated that the Mavs want Hardaway Jr. in their long-term plan.
No one knows when NBA free agency will start, how long it will last or where the salary cap will sit. (Let alone when the season will even start, though as of Thursday, the Mavs are back in the gym.) When it does begin, Hardaway Jr., who has an $18 million player option, will have a decision to make: Stay with the Mavs or test free agency. Cuban's Mavs obviously value the "stay'' idea for this "NBA-best'' - in one category - player.
