Kyrie Irving's injury gives Mavs youngster a golden chance to silence trade talks

After the worst stretch of Dallas Mavericks basketball so far in the 2024-25 season which saw Dallas drop five games in a row, the Mavs have finally answered and added a W to the win column.

Almost every Maverick was a part of the 118-97 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, as the team found a way to utilize their guys in every aspect of the contest.

This major win over Los Angeles could be a momentum builder as a way of identifying new roles with their superstars out, as adjusting to being without two of the best guards in the NBA is never easy.

One of those players figuring out his role during this time of hardship is Jaden Hardy, who needs to make the most of his chance while Kyrie Irving is injured. He's unlocking one part of his game that he must stick to in order for the Mavs to continue to have a chance of receiving consistent minutes.

Hardy is showing that the Mavericks shouldn't trade him

Jaden Hardy has had a nice stretch over the past couple of games. In fact, he's been known for these kind of streaky moments over the years. Hardy's inconsistency has made fans wonder if they should trade him ahead of the trade deadline, but he is quickly proving that Nico Harrison and company should bet on his future. Dallas signed him to a three-year extension before the season began, and punting on him before he reached his full potential would be a risky gamble.

Against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night, he went for 15 points and shot 3-5 from downtown. Against Los Angeles, he ignited the crowd in the third quarter with his shooting, finishing with a total of 15 points again and shooting 3-6 from deep.

His quick style of offensive mechanics like driving to the rim is what any team would need, but for Dallas right now, they need him to continue to shoot the ball from deep and drain open attempts.

He's been shooting over 37 percent from 3-point range this season, and he looks like he's got the touch as of late from beyond the arc.

Hardy came into Dallas by being the energy guy, by driving inside and finding a lane to go through and finish at the cup when needed while also scoring from the mid-range and downtown. Now, with both stars injured, the Mavs need to come up with new ways of shot-creating and shooting. Hardy has shown that he's capable of both of these styles, but him shooting from deep benefits him better and his numbers recently have shown that.

Hardy isn't new to this, he had this same opportunity to play key minutes whenever Doncic got injured before Irving at the end of 2024.

Now, he's got the golden opportunity to get earn more minutes because of his stellar shooting. Hardy's assignment is simple, just be the big energy bench guy for just a few more games. Once Irving comes back, the juices should start to flow with the rest of the team.

Hardy is in the perfect spot, he's not being asked to do too much, he's just being asked to make shots instead of dribbling hard to the paint, at least that's what he's been excelling at lately and it needs to continue if the Mavericks want to have a shot.