NBA Rookies: Jaden Hardy Emerging as Scoring Option for Mavericks

With just a handful of games left in the 2022-23 season, NBA rookies are looking to leave good impressions in the final stretch and end their debut seasons on a high note.

One such rookie doing so is Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy, whose seen a hot stretch in the month of March.

Since his last, five-game hiatus, Hardy is averaging 19.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 45 percent overall, 47 percent from beyond the arc and 76 percent from the line.

His most notable performance came against Golden State on Wednesday night, when he poured on 27 points on 6-for-9 three-pointer shooting, five rebounds, and one assists, steal and block apiece.

The Mavericks haven’t seen subsequent success because of it, as they’re just 2-5 in the stretch. But it’s an encouraging sign for the future for a rookie to be showing glimpses of stardom, nonetheless.

On the season, Hardy is now averaging 8.7 points on 43 percent shooting in 39 games.

Drafted 37th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, Hardy was a highly-touted prospect before a less-than-efficient season in the G League, and saw one of the larger draft night slides because of it.

But with innate scoring ability and a clean shooting stroke, Hardy has always had immense potential. For now, he’ll look to continue to build off his recent success in hopes of sustaining it for years to come.