Mavericks must finally unleash their ignored young flamethrower as veterans stumble

For years, the Dallas Mavericks have been looking for an excuse to play Jaden Hardy in a meaningful role; now they have that chance. It didn't take long for the Mavericks to realize that competing at the top of the Western Conference might be impossible, and while that doesn't officially mean the team should be pro-tanking, Dallas should now take chances with younger players, including Hardy, who has yet to unleash his full potential.

It's safe to say that Hardy's current role with the Mavericks is one where they seem to expect the youngster to be traded at the deadline, and while historically he hasn't played up to the expectations of a rotation-worthy guard, the Mavericks should play Hardy in the chance that his trade stock rises. To make it even better for Hardy's case, he has played relatively well in the small amount of minutes he has been given.

Against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, Hardy was given the most amount of time on the floor he has seen all season, and in 20 minutes, Hardy dropped a season-high 23 points on uber-efficient shooting from behind the arc. With veterans like D'Angelo Russell continuing to play badly, there needs to be more of a push for Hardy to receive more playing time.

Jaden Hardy has quietly made the case for more playing time

Believe it or not, but it is officially year four of the Hardy experiment, and while there has been an early-season push in the past to give Hardy more playing time, this is the first season where Hardy's role appears to be as minimal as it's ever been. It may not shock fans to see Hardy spending the whole game riding the bench, but over the course of the regular season, he has quietly built a case to receive more playing time.

Hardy isn't a stranger to 20-point games out of nowhere, but given how dire his professional career has become, Hardy may be hungrier than ever to prove to the league he has what it takes to be a meaningful figure on any team, and against the Thunder, the Mavericks saw that desperation. With Russell and other Mavericks guards like Dante Exum being a complete disappointment or no-show due to injuries, there needs to be more discourse around Hardy.

At the very worst, the Mavericks can fully accept that Hardy's time in Dallas was just never meant to be one that worked, but assuming he begins to play well in an expanded role, he may make a case to be a solid throw-in for a bigger trade. Fans haven't been afraid to mention Hardy's name in trade talks before, and this season has been no different, but if he plays better than what has been expected of him, the Mavericks may have a young guard that opposing teams could be asking to take a flyer on.

At the current rate that Russell is playing, he could fully expect to be out of the NBA in a few short seasons, but with all of the motivation on Hardy to produce, the Mavericks may have a win-win situation when it comes to the fourth-year guard.

The reality for Hardy in his fourth season is that he will never be the defensive guard fans expected him to develop into, and he will never be the consistent playmaker a team like the Mavericks wants. Even though it's a long shot, Hardy still has the opportunity to show his worth as a score-first guard who can open up the floor for teams looking for an offensive heartbeat off the bench.