Pistons are making a hard Tim Hardaway Jr. realization the Mavericks always knew

Even with the Dallas Mavericks out of the postseason following their loss in the Play-In Tournament to the Memphis Grizzlies last week, they have been one of the most talked-about teams in the NBA due to everything they have gone through over the last two and a half months.

This has been especially true due to some controversial quotes from Nico Harrison during two press conferences over the last week (one was a closed-door roundtable discusson with no caameras allowed and the other one was an open press conference for local media), including underestimating how much Luka Doncic meant to Mavs fans and showing he doesn't care much about Dallas' future beyond his contract, but it has also been true due to some former Mavericks' performances in the playoffs over the last few days.

Doncic has been talked about nonstop ever since his 37-point Game 1 performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but another former Maverick, Tim Hardaway Jr., has been in the news for a not-so-great reason.

Tim Hardaway Jr.'s Mavericks ghost has returned to haunt him in Detroit

Hardaway Jr. started his Detroit Pistons playoff career with a strong performance in Game 1 against the New York Knicks, in which he scored 19 points while shooting 7-13 from the field in 28 minutes, but Monday night's game was a different story.

Hardaway Jr. finished with zero points while shooting 0-8 from the field in Game 2, and Pistons fans saw firsthand exactly why Mavs fans were fed up with him for years before he was traded. His inconsistency has plagued him for most of his career, and while he can have big games in which his shooting turns the tide and helps his team secure the victory, he sometimes disappears in big moments when the lights are brightest.

This is an awful quality to have as a shooter, as their one job is to drill open shots and be ready to let it fly, but even the best shooters' streakiness can get to them at the worst times.

Mavericks fans know this all too well, as Hardaway Jr. ended last season's regular season horribly, and his struggle-filled play continued into the playoffs. This caused Hardaway Jr. to be virtually unplayable by the time the playoffs were over, and even though he had some big moments, he wasn't able to give the Mavericks the consistent shooting and offensive firepower they needed from him in his role off the bench.

The Pistons are in an even tougher position than Dallas when it comes to Hardaway Jr.'s role, as he has been their starter all season long, and all eyes will be on him on Thursday night when Detroit will attempt to take a 2-1 series lead over New York.

While the Pistons were able to secure a win over the Knicks last night, even with Hardaway Jr. shooting that poorly, they can't afford to have more games like that from him. They are fighting for their first playoff series win since 2008, and if they want to make that happen, they can't afford for Hardaway Jr. to vanish when they need his shot-making.