Mavericks’ inevitable Jaden Hardy decision is becoming more clear by the day

The Dallas Mavericks suffered an unfortunate blow this week, as it was announced that rotation guard Dante Exum will be sidelined for three months after recently undergoing surgery to repair an injured right wrist. Exum fell out of favor in the Mavericks' rotation during points of Dallas' playoff run last season. Still, he had an excellent regular season and was solid for the Mavericks toward the back half of the playoffs.

It's without a doubt that Exum's defensive versatility at the guard spot as well as his ability to push the pace at an elite level will certainly be missed, but luckily for the Mavericks, they should have the personnel to fill this void given that this is the deepest team Dallas has had on paper in years.

While Exum was fairly effective as a tertiary playmaker for the Mavericks last season, he's definitely not a tired-and-true shot creator, so seeing how the Mavericks disburse their guard minutes off the bench will be interesting, to say the least. Quentin Grimes seems like a lock to be in the Mavericks rotation at this point, as the 6-foot-5 guard is proving early on that he is an upgraded version of Josh Green with his comfortability handling the ball, his stellar point-of-attack defense, and his pure stroke from outside.

However, Grimes is more of a hybrid guard/wing compared to a true point guard who can run Dallas' second unit, and it seemed like Spencer Dinwiddie or Exum were most likely to assume that role before training camp started. Given Exum's recent injury and Dinwiddie's dismal performance in Dallas' first preseason contest though, it's becoming clearer by the day that Dallas could finally hand the keys to Jaden Hardy to be their lead guard off the bench.

Jaden Hardy is primed to be Dallas' lead point guard off the bench

Throughout the past two seasons, Hardy has taken solid strides in his development with Dallas, as his outside shot and off-ball defense have improved drastically compared to when he first suited up for Dallas at Summer League in 2022. At 22 years old, Hardy is primed for this opportunity to take a more extensive role off the bench for the Mavericks, and all signs are pointing toward Jason Kidd making this inevitable decision given the current circumstances.

It must be prefaced that Dinwiddie's one-game preseason dud cannot be overreacted to for obvious reasons, though his drop off in efficiency last season gives fans reasons to believe that he isn't the same level shot-creator that he was for Dallas two seasons ago. If this proves to remain true throughout the rest of preseason, don't be surprised to see Hardy start playing 20-plus minutes consistently for Dallas to start the season, especially since Exum will be completely out of the rotation for months now.

Hardy still has some notable flaws in his game such as his occasional tunnel vision in pick-and-roll scenarios as well as him forcing unnecessary and tough shots at the rim, though Hardy has shown improvement in these areas since he's been in Dallas. Despite four turnovers against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, Hardy also had nine assists to go along with a 21-point effort.

It's too early in the season to know for sure, but Hardy is clearly showing signs of becoming a dynamic guard off the bench for the Mavericks with his ability to score at all three levels as well as his improved defense. Hardy's efficient 13-point performances in big-time games such as Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals and Game 1 of the NBA Finals last season foreshadowed the possibility of him assuming a greater role in Dallas this season, and now it seems like Kidd is poised to give Hardy the opportunity he's desperately been pining for the last two seasons.