4 Dallas Mavericks players who need more minutes, 3 who need less over final stretch

6. Needs less minutes: Tim Hardaway Jr.

One of the Dallas Mavericks' weak links since the trade deadline has been Tim Hardaway Jr. even though he had a good bounce-back game against the Toronto Raptors last night.

Hardaway Jr. remains one of Dallas' best scorers and is in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award, but he has struggled tremendously since the trade deadline. In the first six games that Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington played in, Hardaway Jr. averaged 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 33.9 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from downtown.

Hardaway Jr. has always been a streaky shooter, but he has been playing some of his worst basketball this season. He has been settling for more bad shots than usual, and the offense doesn't flow as well when he is on the floor.

Even though he is struggling, Hardaway Jr. is still playing heavy minutes. Hardaway Jr. played over 21 minutes in the first six games that Gafford and Washington played in. His minutes are down from where they were earlier in the season, but it still seems like he should be playing less.

Jason Kidd can't fully bench him, as he is excellent when he is hitting his shots, but the return of Dante Exum could reduce some of Hardaway Jr.'s minutes. Once Hardaway Jr. ends his slump, these minutes could quickly become warranted as the Mavs are at their best when Hardaway Jr. is hitting his shots.