Tim Hardaway Jr. was originally considered a fill-in player in the Dallas Mavericks‘ Kristaps Porzingis trade last season. This season, however, he is showing why he is so much more. He is the team’s third leading scorer and has showed up in big games. In addition, he’s improved in multiple facets of his game and has become reliable enough to lead the team’s offense if Porzingis or Luka Doncic are on the bench. Doncic has also missed multiple games this season, and Hardaway Jr. carried the scoring load alongside Porzingis.
Tim Hardaway Jr. Deserves a Contract Extension
Statistics
Hardaway Jr. is averaging over 15 points per game in addition to three rebounds and two assists. This is all coming in under 30 minutes of play as well. His shooting percentages are also very impressive, sitting at a 44-40-80 split. It’s safe to say that he has become a very solid secondary option.
In the last 10 games, with both Doncic and Porzingis missing time, Hardaway Jr. averaged over 21 points with three rebounds and almost three assists per game.
His three-point shooting has also been incredibly efficient since the start of 2020. He sits only behind Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum in three-point percentage since then.
He’s also a very durable player who rarely misses a game due to injury. He played every single game for the Mavericks in the month of February, a month that saw both of the team’s superstars miss time. In that time, Hardaway Jr. did not score in double-digits only once, but that was in a blow-out win versus the Atlanta Hawks. He scored over 20 twice, and over 30 twice as well.
Contract Extension
There is a player option in Hardaway Jr.’s contract this summer that would see him make just under $19 million next season, and a very real possibility that he will accept that. If he is looking for contract security, however, the Mavericks should give it to him.
Hardaway Jr. is only 27 years old and in the prime of his career. His role as the third man behind the star European duo has fitted him very nicely, and he seems to be enjoying himself game-in and game-out this season.
The chemistry Dallas has is real, and they have potential to build something special sooner rather than later. Hardaway Jr. has cemented his name in that recipe for success.
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