Tim Hardaway Jr. has provided a huge boost off the bench for the Denver Nuggets to start the season. The 33-year-old sharpshooter was brought to Denver on a minimum contract to provide a spark off the bench and to put another shooter alongside Nikola Jokic, and he’s done everything the team has needed from him so far.

Through seven games, Hardaway is averaging 11.2 points per game while knocking down nearly 45% of his 3-point attempts. He tied his season high in makes from distance in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat with four in another strong showing.

Tim Hardaway Jr. scoops up the loose ball and hits the 1Q buzzer-beater 🚨

Nuggets hosting the Heat on NBA League Pass! pic.twitter.com/K8m0ZZy9RF

— NBA (@NBA) November 6, 2025

The Nuggets are the fifth team that Hardaway has played on in his 13-year career. He’s played against them 27 times, but is now happy that he gets to be with them year-round instead of having to travel up to the altitude to take on Jokic and company.

“It’s way better — s***,” Hardaway joked postgame. “In all seriousness, it’s awesome, and I joke about it all the time with the guys, I’m happy to be on this side of the fence than the other side.”

He then went on to talk about how much he enjoys playing alongside Jokic and Jamal Murray, watching their two man game and how he likes being a part of a team-centric offense. When asked about the difference in adjusting to the altitude as a road player versus being in Denver all the time and being acclimated, he downplayed the factor that people tend to put so much stalk into when talking about any sporting event in Denver.

“It is,” Hardaway said when asked if there’s an altitude factor when playing here. “I would say so. But once the competitive juices get flowing, it kind of gets out the window a little bit.”

NUGGETS TEAMMATES HAVE PLENTY OF RESPECT FOR TIM HARDAWAY

It was clear in Hardaway’s press conference that he’s happy to be a part of this team, but he also got plenty of love from his new teammates as well.

“I think Tim cares and he wants to win. He wants to be good, and, that’s something that maybe he’s faking to be,” Jokic joked. “That’s what I see, like, he’s really trying to understand and trying to play the right way and I think that’s why good things are happening to him.”

The three-time MVP also joked that some of the shots Hardaway takes are “wild,” but Jokic knows that he’s capable of knocking them down.

For Aaron Gordon, Hardaway’s presence is all about the mentality he brings to the Nuggets off the floor.

“He’s a pro’s pro. Just a high-IQ player on and off the floor and knows the game inside and out, grew up around the game. He’s great to have in the locker room and great to play with,” Gordon said.

The Hardaway signing looked great on paper when the Nuggets struck the deal back in free agency. Not even ten games into the season, it’s looking just as good, if not better, than Nuggets Nation had hoped.