All Pistons

Detroit Pistons Vet Shows Love to Teammate After Standout Night

Tim Hardaway Jr caught a social media shoutout from Malik Beasley.
Justin Grasso|
Mar 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (8) looks on in the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Mar 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Tim Hardaway Jr. (8) looks on in the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

In this story:

Detroit PistonsCleveland Cavaliers

Following Friday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons made NBA history with their miraculous turnaround from last season. Veterans such as Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. weren’t around for the Pistons’ darkest days of this era, but they are certainly key in helping the team turn everything around.

With a shorthanded lineup against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Hardaway led the way for Detroit to take down the Cavs. After the game, Beasley took to social media to dedicate a post to Hardaway by simply dropping the veteran’s name.

via @mbeasy5: Tim Hardaway jr

The post generated nearly 18,000 impressions, with over 1,000 likes, as Pistons fans celebrated the veteran forward’s big night.

Without Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris, Hardaway moved up the pecking order. He scored a team-high 32 points on 56 percent shooting from the field. Seven of his 11 attempted threes were successful.

Hardaway’s big night comes off of a 12-point performance in a win against the San Antonio Spurs. It was his first game back after a short-lived absence due to an ankle sprain he suffered against the Dallas Mavericks on March 21.

This season, Hardaway has appeared in 69 games for the Pistons. During his first Detroit stint, the veteran averaged 11 points, two rebounds, and two assists. From three, Hardaway has knocked down his shots at a 37 percent clip.

Hardaway, Beasley, and others have been major key contributors to the Pistons’ emergence. Their playoff experience should be a difference-maker come April, when the Pistons draw their first seven-game series since 2019.

More Pistons on SI

Published
Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

Share on XFollow JGrasso_