One of the more recent booms and busts of Dallas Mavericks history was Tim Hardaway Jr. The veteran sharpshooter spent a lot of time in Dallas perfecting his deep shot, but Mavs fans know it would sometimes come at a cost.
He is now with the Denver Nuggets, and their fans are learning what it’s like to be on the Hardaway Jr. roller coaster.
Hardway Jr. lit up the Mavericks in the third quarter on Tuesday night, raining in four threes in the span of a few minutes. Overall, he finished with 23 points and went 7-12 from deep. Even though the Nuggets lost in a close one at the American Airlines Center, Hardaway Jr. made the shots he needed to get Denver back in the game. When Hardaway Jr. is hitting shots, it lifts the entire team and gives Denver a major spark off the bench. Mavs fans got a reminder of that the other night.
Nuggets will only get a boom or bust out of Tim Hardaway Jr.
The regular-season performances of Hardaway Jr. sometimes saved Dallas during his time with the team. Now, shifting to his game against Dallas as a Nugget, this was a classic performance of him shifting the momentum in favor of his team. The Nuggets should be glad to have him, but they also have to realize that his busts are just as bad as his booms are good.
This was something that Detroit Pistons fans knew all too well last season. In the Pistons’ Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks, Hardaway started the postseason incredibly, scoring 19 points. In the following game, he shot 0-8 from the field and didn’t score a single bucket. The Pistons got the true Hardway Jr. experience, and performances like this led the Pistons to abandon that project after one season.
Mavs fans were ready to give up on Hardaway Jr. after becoming unplayable in the 2024 Playoffs. His performances in the 2024 NBA Finals didn’t help either, but he drew some eyes in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics when he made Mavs history, draining five threes in the game. It was a glimpse of what he could bring to the table when he was at his best, and he made fans believe for a bit longer, but ultimately, it was time to trade him when they did.
His inconsistency led to the Mavs moving on to give him a fresh start in the Motor City, but they couldn’t even last two seasons with him. The Mavs at least tried to do the best they could to be a long-term home for him, but after five-and-a-half seasons, it was time to pull the plug. The Nuggets are taking a no-risk, high-reward approach for him at age 33, and so far, he’s panning out in Denver, averaging just over 12 points a game.
The keywords there are “so far.”
Come playoff time, Hardaway Jr. could turn from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde and completely lay an egg in a big moment. The Pistons know it, Dallas knows it, and the Nuggets may soon realize it, too. His only role should be off the bench to shoot open shots, and if he’s off, Nuggets head coach David Adelman shouldn’t waste any time taking him out.
Hardaway Jr. can play a key bench role for any NBA team, but it’s just a matter of keeping consistency in the regular season and playoffs. This isn’t anything new, but Denver can get the best of the veteran shooter, just like they can get the worst out of him, too.