Mavericks swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. had surgery to address a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in his left foot, the team announced Tuesday in a press release.
According to the Mavs, Hardaway will began the rehab process immediately, but there’s no timetable for his return.
As we relayed last week following the initial diagnosis of Hardaway’s injury, the recovery timeline following a fifth metatarsal fracture generally exceeds two months, per Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes. This year’s regular season ends on April 10, so there’s no guarantee Hardaway will be able to contribute down the stretch or in the playoffs.
Hardaway, who signed a new four-year, $75M contract with Dallas in the 2021 offseason, was having a down year. After averaging 16.2 PPG with a .441/.394/.817 shooting line in his previous two seasons with the Mavs, the 29-year-old has averaged just 14.2 PPG on .394/.336/.757 shooting in 42 games (29.6 MPG) in 2021-22.
Despite his inconsistent shooting this season, Hardaway was a key piece of the Mavs’ rotation, so the team will have to make up for his missing production in the coming weeks. Reggie Bullock and Josh Green have seen an uptick in minutes since Hardaway went down with the injury.
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