Jaden Hardy Focused On Improving Defense This Offseason

When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Jaden Hardy from the Washington Wizards this offseason, it was very well known that the team had brought in a player capable of getting his own bucket from anywhere on the court. Hardy has also proven to be a capable off-ball player and a knockdown 3-point shooter who has hit 38.6% from deep in his career.

But scoring alone won’t be enough to get regular minutes on this Lakers roster, which is why Hardy spent a lot of time this offseason working on improving on the other side of the court.

“Yeah, this summer, I’ve done a tremendous amount of work, put in a lot of work in my game specifically on the defensive end too,” Hardy said during Lakers Media Day. “That’s something that I really prioritized this summer. I know that’s going to get me on court. I know that’s going to keep me on court, especially coming to a team like this, I want to be able to come in and bring energy.

“I’m already a three-level scorer who can create for my teammates, great catch-and-shoot shooter, so with the ability, adding that competitive defensive side coming in, trying to guard the best players every day, I feel like that’s what I’ve been focusing on, and that’s what I want to.”

There is no denying what Hardy is capable of offensively and he showed he can contribute when given a bigger role last season with the Wizards as he averaged 12.6 points on 42% from 3-point range in more than 20 minutes per game after being traded there. But he understands the importance of defense and knows that he must be able to defend at a high level to crack head coach JJ Redick’s rotation.

Hardy is going to get plenty of open looks playing alongside Luka Doncic, which he has already done, as well as Austin Reaves. But if he can prove to be a reliable defender as well, it could be very difficult to keep him off the court this season.

Jaden Hardy talks difficulties of staying in rhythm while playing off-ball

For a player like Hardy, who is the traditional microwave-scoring guard off bench, it can sometimes be difficult to stay in rhythm and be ready once your number is called because he may not be getting regular minutes consistently. But for Hardy, the most important thing is trusting that the work you’ve put in will pay off.

“Yeah, honestly, just letting the game come to you, and then trusting in the work that you put in,” Hardy said when asked about staying in rhythm. “For me, I just try to take the most of whatever opportunity I’m given, and try to make the most out of it.

“You know, throughout my career, I might not have had the same opportunity as a lot of young guys coming into the league so just being able to lean on staying in the gym, stand on working on my work, not complaining, just continue to ask questions, trying to get better, you know, and that’s something that I can hang my hat on and that’s something I continue to do.”