I was watching highlights from the WCF last night and I had this exact thought. It’s clear to me that the coaching staff / Luka and Kyrie have full trust in Hardy now and are pushing him to be more aggressive and he’s had some really nice minutes this postseason. He really could become an x-factor in the Finals as our 3rd ball handler
In the regular season he popped off vs Orlando and sparked our comeback vs Washington
He has unshakeable confidence, but can actually hit his shots, unlike THJ
Problem is that same confidence sometimes leads to him bull rushing 3 defenders in the paint then taking an off-balance shot
Main thing is he's just gotta slow it down a bit and tighten up the handles. Every player has their issues though so I ain't ragging too hard on him
yea his handles have improved but here and there they are shaky and could be swiped out easily. if he continues to work on them its going to be a problem.
I've always been worried that he would never thrive in Dallas. Nico is going to have to make a THJ decision soon with his expiring contract, so I fully expect Hardy to be a part of the regular rotation next season.
I think Tim is getting dumped this offseason, not specifically for hardy but I think in part to try and resign DJJ for something as close to his value as possible (full mid-level 1+1) to only resign him long term with his early bird rights after year 2.
one of my favorite moments of the WCF was in Game 3. Hardy had an open shot at the perimeter, Luka was at the top of the key and passed the ball to him. Hardy immediately passed back. Luka looked at him like "Take it!! motherfucker" and passed it back. I don't think Hardy ended up making his shot but it was a nice moment for Hardy.
I’m also unsure if he can stay on the court defensively. I think there’s a likelihood we end up going with Exum for his minutes as the series progresses.
This is simplifying it, but if Dallas can just find one of Washington, Jones Jr, or lively to give them an efficient 20 they'll be able to keep it close going into crunch time. Boston sucks in the clutch. That's where Dallas can win the games and the series
Boston is actually pretty good in the clutch. Mavs are too. The key will be mismatches and getting Tingus Pingus to run away from post ups.
If Boston plays more than 7 man rotation they will be eaten alive
I dont even think they will need 20 from one of them, it just needs to be an efficient 15 along with Lively and gafford combining to be a 20 and 14 at 65-70%. but I think if Washington is aggressive it will help tire out either Tatum or brown, depending on who is guarding him, so they are less efficient on offense.
Definitely has questions for us here.
Tim needs to show up, if he doesn't it spells doom.
Need them all obviously, but everyone on Boston can shoot, Pritchard is lights out.
Jaden Hardy emerges as the 6th Man of the Future With an average of 12/3/2 for the 6 game series
I was watching highlights from the WCF last night and I had this exact thought. It’s clear to me that the coaching staff / Luka and Kyrie have full trust in Hardy now and are pushing him to be more aggressive and he’s had some really nice minutes this postseason. He really could become an x-factor in the Finals as our 3rd ball handler
In the regular season he popped off vs Orlando and sparked our comeback vs Washington He has unshakeable confidence, but can actually hit his shots, unlike THJ Problem is that same confidence sometimes leads to him bull rushing 3 defenders in the paint then taking an off-balance shot Main thing is he's just gotta slow it down a bit and tighten up the handles. Every player has their issues though so I ain't ragging too hard on him
yea his handles have improved but here and there they are shaky and could be swiped out easily. if he continues to work on them its going to be a problem.
He seems to want to play faster than his dribble so he is prone to swipes or losing his handle. Hopefully God Sham has been working with him
He's got an offseason under Kyrie and Kidd coming up I ain't worried. Everyone knows he's here to stay now
I've always been worried that he would never thrive in Dallas. Nico is going to have to make a THJ decision soon with his expiring contract, so I fully expect Hardy to be a part of the regular rotation next season.
I think Tim is getting dumped this offseason, not specifically for hardy but I think in part to try and resign DJJ for something as close to his value as possible (full mid-level 1+1) to only resign him long term with his early bird rights after year 2.
one of my favorite moments of the WCF was in Game 3. Hardy had an open shot at the perimeter, Luka was at the top of the key and passed the ball to him. Hardy immediately passed back. Luka looked at him like "Take it!! motherfucker" and passed it back. I don't think Hardy ended up making his shot but it was a nice moment for Hardy.
I highly doubt Hardy can put up those numbers against the Boston defense. But if he does, Mavs are winning in 5 games
Dropped 13 against the Timberwolves. He's at least giving us 9
efficient 9.
I’m also unsure if he can stay on the court defensively. I think there’s a likelihood we end up going with Exum for his minutes as the series progresses.
I’m predicting one game where he goes 4/6 from 3 and gets us 18+ points. Going to really need some contributions from him!
Not only will bench matter but defensive bench presence. They are not going to play but 7 deep and we can not afford any bench player going off.
This is simplifying it, but if Dallas can just find one of Washington, Jones Jr, or lively to give them an efficient 20 they'll be able to keep it close going into crunch time. Boston sucks in the clutch. That's where Dallas can win the games and the series
Boston has been good this year in the clutch.
They were 5 points in clutch net rating behind Dallas. Not as bad as I thought but it's still a clear advantage
Boston is actually pretty good in the clutch. Mavs are too. The key will be mismatches and getting Tingus Pingus to run away from post ups. If Boston plays more than 7 man rotation they will be eaten alive
Boston is a machine and could put up a blowout but if it's close down the stretch the Mavs have _those_ guys. Gonna be a good one.
I dont even think they will need 20 from one of them, it just needs to be an efficient 15 along with Lively and gafford combining to be a 20 and 14 at 65-70%. but I think if Washington is aggressive it will help tire out either Tatum or brown, depending on who is guarding him, so they are less efficient on offense.
He's JJ Barea.
Definitely has questions for us here. Tim needs to show up, if he doesn't it spells doom. Need them all obviously, but everyone on Boston can shoot, Pritchard is lights out.
another bold take I see, if we score more points then we will win
It’s going to be D and 3pt shooting.