Dallas Mavericks: Grading Tim Hardaway Jr.’s 2019-2020 season

Defense

Evaluating defense is always a bit trickier. Tim Hardaway Jr. averaged just 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocks per game. He is not a massive rebounder either. Those stats far from tell the story of player’s defensive chops, though.

Looking at advanced metrics, THJ produced 1.1 defensive win shares which put him 174th in the NBA or above league average. ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus ranked him 103.

The eye test would say Hardaway Jr. held his own on defense. Personally, he surprised me with his above-average play on this end of the floor. During his time in New York, he seems focused on his offense and would have lapses on defense. They were few and far between in Dallas.

Coach Rick Carlisle even trusted him to matchup on plenty of number one options throughout the year. He was not the Mavs go-to option there, but he got the best of it on a few occasions.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is far from winning the Defensive Player of the Year, but he did not hurt the Dallas Mavericks either. The 28-year-old defended adequately on the perimeter and played well within the scheme. He was a pleasant surprise on this end of the floor in the 2019-2020 season.

Defensive grade: B+

Next: Overall grade