Mavericks' most criticized player has one secret skill saving him in Dallas

Jaden Hardy has been under heavy criticism from Dallas Mavericks fans this preseason for his turnovers, missed shots around the rim, and inefficiency through three games, but his ability to score multiple buckets in a short span is evidently still there, and likely always will be, and this may be the main thing that will keep him in Dallas as he enters the first year of a three-year extension with the Mavericks.

Hardy signed a three-year extension with Dallas last offseason after a strong individual run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, especially in the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but since that moment, he has struggled some and never found a consistent role unless there were injuries to players in front of him.

His struggles have been magnified during the preseason, as he has had some extended run to show off the hard work that he put in over the offseason, but his minutes haven't been as productive as fans would've liked ahead of his fourth year in the NBA. This has led some fans to suggest that Nico Harrison should trade him since Ryan Nembhard is playing so well and Brandon Williams has proven he can be a go-to scorer and playmaker.

Jaden Hardy can still get hot like no other

Despite this, Hardy dominated at the end of the third quarter for the Mavericks last night against the Utah Jazz, as he finished with 11 points in the quarter while shooting 4-8 from the field and 3-5 from downtown. He looked as confident as he's been all preseason, and his rhythm when shooting the rock was obvious.

Hardy scored all 11 of his third-quarter points in the final 5:15 of the quarter, with nine of the points (all threes) being in the final 3:03 of the quarter, and his ability to get scorching hot and score in bunches hasn't gone anywhere. This dominant stretch helped him bounce back after two rough quarters, as he finished with just 2 points on 1-5 shooting, along with two fouls and a turnover in five minutes before halftime.

His hot shooting off the catch can quickly turn the tide of a game when he's dialed in, and this was clear against Utah when Dallas pulled away at the end of the third quarter.

Hardy's three third-quarter 3-pointers helped the Mavs go from leading by five points to leading by 15 points in the span of just over three minutes, and his confidence and ability to heat up quickly are among the best on the team. He heats up like a pizza oven, as it doesn't take him long to get into a groove, and this unique skill is something you can't teach.

Hard's ability to play off the ball and knock down open shots is strong, but as Jason Kidd said earlier this preseason, the other things must grow for him to continue to develop. Kidd specifically listed his defense and ability to set up the offense when asked about what the next step would be for him, explicitly stating that the Mavericks already know that he is a strong scorer.

Kidd and the Mavs need to see more out of Hardy for him to take the next step and become the secondary playmaker that they need him to be, but if one thing is for sure, it's that Hardy can light it up from three and single-handedly tilt the momentum of a game with his shooting.