Dallas Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr. thrives when playing next to Luka Doncic

Struggling in the last six

Tim Hardaway Jr. is playing 31.2 minutes a night in the last six games with Luka Doncic out. He is averaging 15.7 points, but shooting just 39.2 percent from the field. THJ is hitting 42.1 percent from 3-point range, though. It is a small sample size, but it was a similar story in the four games Luka missed in December.

Hardaway Jr. shot just 31.3 percent from the field during that stretch. His efficiency drops off mightily. Let us look at THJ’s numbers in games Doncic plays.

Numbers when Luka plays

Tim Hardaway Jr. took over as a starter on Nov. 20. He struggled a bit to begin the season adjusting to a bench role. Since taking over as a starter, Hardaway Jr. is averaging 15.8 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 43.0 percent on his 3-pointers. Eliminate the ten games Doncic missed, and those numbers improve significantly.

In the 15 games between Luka’s two absences, THJ was shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 45.3 percent on his 3-pointers. The 27-year-old cannot miss when playing with Luka.

Those are just the games, though. Let us take a look at the on/off numbers, and why Hardaway Jr. shoots so much better with Luka.

Next: On/off and why