2022 NBA Draft: #37 Jaden Hardy (6' 3", 6' 9" WS) to DAL | two 2nds to SAC

[KillerLeft]

I think he’s already better than Brunson. JB is easily replaceable.

I can think of 3-4 people who will be saying this after the first summer league game.

[cow]

I think he’s already better than Brunson. JB is easily replaceable.

Jaden will at least be better than Greg and yet I still prefer Jerry to Mark.

[Branduil]

Feel bad for Hardy because now he's going to be the focus of completely unreasonable expectations solely because of Cuban's cheapness.

[ItsGoTime]

I don’t think of Hardy as a replacement for JB. I think of him as a better ball handling replacement for THJ.

Edit: of course not right away.

[Kammrath]

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/Rylan_Stiles/status/...1020797953

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/ChrisPalmerNBA/statu...9382126592

[khaled1987]

Not the biggest fan of Hardy tbh,  feels a lot like DoJo 
But will root for the kid to prove me stupidly wrong

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/GrantAfseth/status/1...6201479169

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/...7616969730

[F Gump]

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/...7616969730

In case you're wondering, "long-term" means 3 years instead of 2.

This report also means McGee is getting about 17.2M total over 3 years, not 20.

[chaparral]

In case you're wondering, "long-term" means 3 years instead of 2.

This report also means McGee is getting about 17.2M total over 3 years, not 20.

Here is an article from mavsmoneyball.com

NBA Free Agency: Contracts for JaVale McGee and Jaden Hardy - Mavs Moneyball

[MrGoat]

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/...7616969730

Ok they really do like this guy. I figured they waited until the second round to go back into the draft because they planned to give him a two way, guess not.

Granted, his atrocious shot selection isn't as much of a problem when Luka's the guy choosing when he gets to take shots. He actually shot very well on wide open catch and shoots.

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA/status...0135237633

[Dundalis]

Yeah his shooting looks legit, and the 3 level scoring potential is definitely there. But his handle is being overlooked IMO. I really really like it. Some of the techniques he uses in PnR action as the ball handler are pretty advanced and look very natural for him. Basically to me he has a number of those counter move tools with a tight handle you need to max out your offensive abilities without being a great athlete, just like what Luka and Brunson have been able to do (IMO despite all the criticism, he's a much better athlete than both, he pulls off some quick burst moves even without wrong footing his defender than I've not seen from Brunson).

He's not seeing a minute without showing he can be 10x the defender he was in the G League though (which is prob still not a good defender). So really it's fingers crossed his defensive issues were something other than not having the athletic tools, a low motor or being clueless awareness wise. No matter his huge offensive potential, his defense could prevent him from developing his game properly with his team until he gets traded to a bad team that can actually afford to play him and let him work out the kinks. A hell of a lot rides on what he can do defensively IMO.

[Kammrath]

He's not seeing a minute without showing he can be 10x the defender he was in the G League though (which is prob still not a good defender). So really it's fingers crossed his defensive issues were something other than not having the athletic tools, a low motor or being clueless awareness wise. No matter his huge offensive potential, his defense could prevent him from developing his game properly with his team

100% completely agree with you here. 

I gave him no time of day in my draft evals because his D was SOOOO bad. On ball, off ball, doesn't matter, I saw very, very little I liked about his D. Occasionally I have seen him move his feet and there are glimpses of potential there and with steals. But that is it. 

I think 36 picks went ahead of him because of his D and then his more mediocre athleticism.

[Chicagojk]

Yeah his shooting looks legit, and the 3 level scoring potential is definitely there. But his handle is being overlooked IMO. I really really like it. Some of the techniques he uses in PnR action as the ball handler are pretty advanced and look very natural for him. Basically to me he has a number of those counter move tools with a tight handle you need to max out your offensive abilities without being a great athlete, just like what Luka and Brunson have been able to do (IMO despite all the criticism, he's a much better athlete than both, he pulls off quick burst moves even without wrong footing his defender than I've not seen from Brunson).

He's not seeing a minute without showing he can be 10x the defender he was in the G League though (which is prob still not a good defender). So really it's fingers crossed his defensive issues were something other than not having the athletic tools, a low motor or being clueless awareness wise. No matter his huge offensive potential, his defense could prevent him from developing his game properly with his team until he gets traded to a bad team that can actually afford to play him and let him work out the kinks. A hell of a lot rides on what he can do defensively IMO.

I agree with his ball handling.  One of the reasons I was attracted to him is his ball handling.  He has a knack of creating space and dribbling in very tight areas.   I am sure he is going to dribble himself into some really bad areas this summer and probably for the foreseeable future, but I think he is going to be a very ball handler.

As far as the defense, I also agree.   It is important to take a long term view with him.  These next two years will be very important for him with his development.   He will probably, for the first time in his life, not get a lot of pub or attention.   He will also need to transition himself from a ball dependent player to one who can do other things to get on the court.  Maybe in time he can be more of a ball dependent player.   But to get on the court, he will need to improve other parts of his game to NBA level.

[Dundalis]

100% completely agree with you here. 

I gave him no time of day in my draft evals because his D was SOOOO bad. On ball, off ball, doesn't matter, I saw very, very little I liked about his D. Occasionally I have seen him move his feet and there are glimpses of potential there and with steals. But that is it. 

I think 36 picks went ahead of him because of his D and then his more mediocre athleticism.

That's the thing, there are plenty of very good NBA defenders who are bad athletes. You need other stuff to make up for it. Low motor and bad awareness is not the combo you want in a sub optimal athlete on defense. Haven't looked at him much defensively, but If that's what he's suffering from, it's prob not gonna work because that kind of thing is not very easy to fix. I could see him being gone and turning into Dame Lillard somewhere else which would be a pretty big shame. I guess he will be working with one of the best coaches in the league when it comes to helping turning sub par defenders into a cohesive defensive unit, so there's some hope.

[Kammrath]

Low motor and bad awareness is not the combo you want in a sub optimal athlete on defense.

Nailed it.

[Moviemavguy]

I don't know where people are getting this Hardy isn't a good athlete stuff from.  He's not Lebron, but I definitely think he is above average.  And if we could hide Brunson on defense, then Hardy shouldn't be an issue long term.  He certainly has the physical tools that Brunson just didn't have.  Hardy is a missile on offense, and if you can shoot and score, then you'll always have a place in the NBA.  

What puzzles me is how ignite teammate Dyson Daniels goes 8 but Hardy falls to 37?  Daniels can't shoot to save his life, but because he is a bit taller with a little more defensive potential?  It's not that I don't think Hardy has issues, but the draft is often puzzling to me.  Like Sharpe just got rewarded for not even playing in college.  Hardy got punished for going to the G league in a way that makes little sense.