When the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Denver Nuggets in the opening round of the playoffs, many will focus on seeing what the Timberwolves can do to at least slow down Nikola Jokic. That is understandable after the three-time MVP averaged an absurd 35.8 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 11.3 assists in four meetings with Minnesota this season.

Of course, one man isn’t going to be able to win a series on his own, even someone as incredibly good as The Joker. Someone that the Wolves have had trouble against this year from Denver’s roster, and in the past, is Tim Hardaway Jr. The 34-year-old is on a veteran’s minimum contract this season, but his impact has been huge for Denver, and he is someone who can help win a game or two in a 7-game series.

Hardaway has performed well against the Wolves in his career 

Now in his 13th season, Hardaway Jr. was a superb signing for a Denver team that lacked punch off the bench in recent years. In 80 games (six starts), he averaged 13.5 points while shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc for the first time in his career (40.7 percent).

The Nuggets met up with the Timberwolves four times in the regular season, winning the first three matchups. Hardaway Jr. excelled in those outings. The 6-foot-5 son of a Hall of Famer averaged 19.8 points in the four meetings with excellent shooting splits (.610/.556/.824). Denver was also plus-30 when he was on the court against the Wolves.

That has been a theme throughout his NBA tenure. Owning a career 13.7 scoring average, Hardaway Jr. has averaged 16.6 points in 25 appearances against the Timberwolves. That’s the highest scoring average he has against any team in his career.

Hardaway Jr.’s postseason career consists of 48 games played. His shooting numbers haven’t been particularly good, and last year with the Detroit Pistons, he shot just 33.8 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from 3-point distance in an opening round loss to the New York Knicks. Perhaps playing a Timberwolves team that Hardaway Jr. knows he has performed superbly against will give him a ton of confidence entering the series.

Obviously, Nikola Jokic will do damage. Jamal Murray will go on some heaters. However, one thing that Minnesota needs to do to advance in the series as underdogs is make sure the others on Denver’s roster aren’t able to go off, particularly Hardaway Jr.

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