Jaden Hardy Shines in Shorthanded Mavs' Win Over Blazers: 'I Feed Off Kyrie Irving's Energy'

“I feel like when I was out there, [I was] just slowing the game down and trying to make the right read. ... I feel like I can create and get in the paint easily, so [I was] just reading the defense and finding my teammates," Hardy said after nearly notching a triple-double with nine rebounds and nine assists – both career-highs.

“When guys go down, what we say in that locker room is ‘next man up’ mentality. [I'm] just sticking to that, being ready whenever my name is called.”

Hardy's playing time has been spotty this season, but when he does get to play alongside Irving or Doncic, he enjoys feeding off of their energy. On Friday, Hardy expressed how playing with Irving gave him ultimate confidence in the blowout win.

“It felt good to be out there with Kai [Kyrie Irving]," Hardy said. "He gives me confidence when I’m out there telling me to go. I feed off of his energy too, so just having him around and being around the young guys, we feed off him and Luka’s energy. I just feel good when I’m out there with him.”

For the season, Hardy is averaging 8.1 points while shooting just 38.2 percent overall from the field, but 35.0 percent from deep. Over his last five games, though, Hardy has taken advantage of getting more minutes due to the Mavs' injury situations, as he's averaging 14.6 points while shooting 44.6 percent overall and 37.1 percent on 3s in that span.