IT'S HARDY TIME: Jaden Hardy looking like a decent prospect

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/townbrad/status/1611930803063103488

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...0695917568

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/NickVanExit/status/1...8299552770

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...9454545922

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/CallieCaplan/status/...7268685827

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/dallasmavs/status/16...0430134272

[Kammrath]

[Kammrath]

https://twitter.com/GrantAfseth/status/1...4695109638

[cow]

It's not too late to join the Hardy Party.

Seems like he should be in the untouchable category now relative to his upside and what he's value would be going out.

[Branduil]

It's not to late to join the Hardy Party.

Seems like he should be in the untouchable category now relative to his upside and what he's value would be going out.

Always was

[dynamicalVoid]

It's not to late to join the Hardy Party.

Seems like he should be in the untouchable category now relative to his upside and what he's value would be going out.

Untouchable until Danny Green's agent rings Mark with an update that his client is feeling ready to go.

[Jmaciscool]

It's not to late to join the Hardy Party.

Seems like he should be in the untouchable category now relative to his upside and what he's value would be going out.

I just wanted to be fashionably late to the Hardy party.

I'm sure there will be some growing pains as the season progresses but he seems to be at the point where he'll have a positive contribution more often than a negative, which is something I wasn't expecting for this season.

[ThisIStheYear]

This man can’t be traded. He has a real craftiness around the basket switching between his left and right hand and using his long arms to find unique launch angles.  The Mavs could screw up a lot of moves, but if this one hits, they win.

[Mavs2021]

Watching the highlights of his lay-ups, it´s still noticeable that he´s not as tall or vertical as projected/meausred,whatever you want to call it. But finishing around the rim is not all about size and jumping ability, it´s more about the ability to absorb contact and your touch for the basketball. I was concerned about both these things. Early in his NBA minutes that led to a lot of blocked shots and had me really concerned about his long-term prospects.

This game he showed tremendous progress in problem-solving these issues. Honestly it felt like I was watching a mini-Luka using his body to bump defenders off to create the split second of space, delayed attacks, changing directions, using the glass and very good control finishing through some contact with different angles. What he lacks in leaping ability, he does make up for with his lateral and downhill quickness with good handles.

But this also just adds to what I have been saying for years: need to play against the big boys, make mistakes and learn. There is no replacement for real minutes. Practice is just practice.

Maybe Nico hasn´t had the greatest start in terms of his free agency and trade dealings, but maybe Hardy is a sign of things to come. There are many ways to success in the NBA, you just need to focus on your strength. If it turns out Nico really does have an eye for talent and big part of that is evaluating the personality of young players, then use it. Memphis has drafted a stunning 12 of 15 players on their roster.

Also Hardy provides an interesting case for the G-League to NBA route. Was a top 5 projected player coming out of high school, then sucked and dropped like a stone. Maybe there is more players like him and you can get steals late in the draft, because teams have very little data of what a typical successful/failed progression via that route looks like.

[Dundalis]

Watching the highlights of his lay-ups, it´s still noticeable that he´s not as tall or vertical as projected/meausred,whatever you want to call it. But finishing around the rim is not all about size and jumping ability, it´s more about the ability to absorb contact and your touch for the basketball. I was concerned about both these things. Early in his NBA minutes that led to a lot of blocked shots and had me really concerned about his long-term prospects.

This game he showed tremendous progress in problem-solving these issues. Honestly it felt like I was watching a mini-Luka using his body to bump defenders off to create the split second of space, delayed attacks, changing directions, using the glass and very good control finishing through some contact with different angles. What he lacks in leaping ability, he does make up for with his lateral and downhill quickness with good handles.

But this also just adds to what I have been saying for years: need to play against the big boys, make mistakes and learn. There is no replacement for real minutes. Practice is just practice.

Maybe Nico hasn´t had the greatest start in terms of his free agency and trade dealings, but maybe Hardy is a sign of things to come. There are many ways to success in the NBA, you just need to focus on your strength. If it turns out Nico really does have an eye for talent and big part of that is evaluating the personality of young players, then use it. Memphis has drafted a stunning 12 of 15 players on their roster.

Also Hardy provides an interesting case for the G-League to NBA route. Was a top 5 projected player coming out of high school, then sucked and dropped like a stone. Maybe there is more players like him and you can get steals late in the draft, because teams have very little data of what a typical successful/failed progression via that route looks like.

The Luka comp is something I've thought since what tape on him. Obviously I'm talking purely about scoring and not any other aspects of the game. His skillset has a lot of comparables, and he's actually someone who could learn a huge amount from Luka because he actually has the skillset to implement a LOT of what Luka does from a pure scoring aspect. He doesn't have Luka's size and ability to dominate physically, but he has a level of quickness and burst that Luka doesn't. He has the array of moves to create separation along with sneaky athleticism, which is a sizable part of being an offensive force in the NBA, and looks to be well on the way to figuring out finishing at the rim through contact.

Very interested to see if his shooting percentages translate even partially from the G League, his stroke looks nice and it's a quick release. Very hopeful that by the time Mavs are looking to trade he's put up performances impossible to ignore, because I think his offensive upside might be even higher than even his pre draft fans anticipated. People may not remember, but almost no one thought Luka would ever be an elite league leading NBA scorer pre rookie year, including his fans, his coaches and even himself. He was gonna be a low 20's ppg guy in his prime who might lead the league in assists. And I think at least some of the concerns as to why people thought that are similar to concerns with Hardy.

[Razzmatazz_Hopskidillydoo]

I'm not a big fan of Jaden Hardy, but at where the Mavs picked him, I thought it was a value pick.
Great decision to scoop up a player who's a at least top 25 on most boards.

I'm just seeing right now why you guys are high on him.
Scoring is going to be easy for a guy who can attack off the dribble.
A player like THJ can stink all night because he can't go to the paint, that's not going to be a problem for Hardy.
He can always scoot and slither his way for a layup, if his long distance shots aren't falling.

Now, on another topic -- time for an early re-draft.
Where does Hardy go if the draft is made today?
Would he crack the top 10?

[Mavs2021]

I'm not a big fan of Jaden Hardy, but at where the Mavs picked him, I thought it was a value pick.
Great decision to scoop up a player who's a at least top 25 on most boards.

I'm just seeing right now why you guys are high on him.
Scoring is going to be easy for a guy who can attack off the dribble.
A player like THJ can stink all night because he can't go to the paint, that's not going to be a problem for Hardy.
He can always scoot and slither his way for a layup, if his long distance shots aren't falling.

Now, on another topic -- time for an early re-draft.
Where does Hardy go if the draft is made today?
Would he crack the top 10?

Right now, I´d say between 13-20. Top seven remain. Jalen Williams, Mark Williams, Walker Kessler, Jalen, Shaeden Sharpe next five.

[MarkAguirreWrathofGod]

An interesting contrast between Dyson Daniels, who went 8th overall, and Jaden who went 37th, last night. Daniels looked stiff, you could also see him thinking instead of playing naturally. Hardy on the other hand has a natural flow and confidence to his game. He plays with rhythm. Guys like that tend to score in bunches, because they can “feel it.” I was disappointed when Dinwiddie came back in and killed Hardy’s momentum with his utterly predictable iso dribble game.

Just one game and I think Daniels will still be a good player (he’s only 19!) but his poor shooting, subpar athleticism and slow processing actually reminded me of Frank N. at times. Whereas Jaden just looks like a natural born baller. Confidence, understanding angles, leverage, footwork, changing speeds, good handles, ambidexterity. I think I’m even seeing some early signs of good floor vision. I think he’ll be great as a pnr ball handler eventually with his mid range touch and inside out dribble. Fun to watch!

[dynamicalVoid]

Dont know about his overall bball IQ...but Hardy has that modern offensive game.  This team needs that.

Seems like he can attack the basket and score at rim in traffic or after contact(even after mid air contact)and contort his body to get a shot off/lay up off.  I like that.  Its Ja Morant-ish.  Its modern and shows a strong FEEL for the game.  This team lacks players that have feel for the game.

I agree with the above comment that playing time should be number one for this kid.  Not some psychology experiment to make him earn it.  If this kid gets comfortable hitting 3's and scoring at the rim...we basically replaced Brunson.

I dont know about his defense at all.

[KillerLeft]

Dont know about his overall bball IQ...but Hardy has that modern offensive game.  This team needs that.

Absolutely. He's quite polished, offensively.