Mavericks young guard proves Jason Kidd must play him in loss to Timberwolves

In a hard-fought game for the Dallas Mavericks, they lost their second straight game against the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 118-110.

The leading scorers for the Mavericks were Tim Hardaway Jr. (32), Jaden Hardy (17) and Derrick Jones Jr. (15). Dwight Powell also had debatebly his best game of the year with 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists with a team-high plus-minus of plus 15.

In a game where the Minnesota Timberwolves were dominant from behind the arc, the Mavericks needed to find a role player to help create some momentum.

Mavericks young guard proves Jason Kidd must play him in loss to Timberwolves

In the third quarter, young guard Jaden Hardy would hit a 16-foot pull-up jumper, followed by a catch and shoot 3-point shot off of a Grant Williams pass. Moments later Hardy threw a beautiful lob pass to Powell for the slam.

One of the main players Mavs fans have wanted to put on the trade block has been Hardy, but after his performance tonight he could become a reliable piece for this team if players get in foul trouble. Hardy was someone who has been in and out of the lineup this season, but Thursday night's performance could have forced head coach Jason Kidd's hand to play him more.

Expect Hardy to continue to battle for minutes with veteran teammate Seth Curry in the future as well after his solid performance in recent games.

If Hardy can create a consistent role for himself and continue to have a good shot selection with decent defense he should be able to stay in Kidd’s rotation. Hardy is currently averaging 7.8 points per game and shooting 36.4 percent from behind the arc in the month of December.

We’ll have you covered with all the latest on Jaden Hardy, Jason Kidd, and the Dallas Mavericks, stay tuned.