3 things Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy must do to reach his ceiling

The Dallas Mavericks made a bold decision when they decided to trade into the 2022 NBA Draft. The Mavs had their eyes set on Jaden Hardy, especially as he continued his draft-day slide, and pulled the trigger to select Hardy with the 37th overall selection.

In hindsight, this trade was brilliant. Hardy recorded the second most points of all the second-rounders and proved to be a significant contributor for the Mavericks going forward.

The Mavs guard has been a known commodity for a while, which may have actually led to his downfall during the pre-draft process, as scouts were able to nitpick his game for several years. Hardy averaged 30.4 points per game as a junior in high school and ultimately decided to cut his senior year short as he was already a consensus top-5 recruit without much left to prove.

3 things Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy must do to reach his ceiling

Hardy decided to go straight to the professional level, joining the G-League Ignite in 2021. His initial season in the G-League didn't go as planned. Hardy continued to display his scoring prowess, averaging 17.7 points per game, but he only shot 35.1 percent from the floor and 26.9 percent from distance.

Thus, Hardy went from a top-ranked prospect to a second-rounder in a season. But, the Mavs wisely decided to select Hardy and it paid dividends.

Hardy played sparingly during the beginning of the season, as he also split time with the Mavs G-League affiliate, Texas Legends. But once the calendar flipped to 2023, the Mavs began giving Hardy more floor time.

Hardy averaged 7.2 points in January, then 8.7 points in February, before exploding for 15.6 points per game in March. Hardy finished the season with averages of 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.

And unlike his struggles in the G-League, Hardy shot the ball with great efficiency. He shot 43.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.

After the season concluded, he suited up for the Mavs Summer League team looking to expand upon his successful freshman season. But, things didn't go according to plan for Hardy. His shooting splits were eerily similar to his G-League Ignite stats.

Once again, Hardy looked like a high-volume scorer. He averaged 23.0 points per game, but shot 35.2 percent from the floor and 24.1 percent from three.

Was his rookie season an aberration, or will he continue to shoot the ball with excellent efficiency in a larger role? Also, will Hardy display any sense of playmaking or become a reliable defender going forward?

To reach his ceiling, Hardy must be able to find consistency and provide more than just scoring and high-volume shooting.

3. Continued efficiency

Jaden Hardy hasn't seen a shot he doesn't like. And, although this is sometimes a good mindset to have, it can also hurt an offense. While playing for the G League Ignite, Hardy only made six of the seventeen shots he attempted on a given night.

To make matters worse, Hardy averaged 6.5 three-point attempts per game and only averaged 1.8 three-point makes per game. Sure, averaging 17.7 points looks good, but his efficiency left much to be desired.

Every single scouting report pinpointed Hardy's lack of consistency as a weakness. Additionally, scouting reports noted his lack of creation and having a plan while driving, thus potentially leading to decreased efficiency metrics.

However, things changed for Hardy after hitting the hardwood in the big leagues. The Mavs guard shot 43.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from distance.

Amongst all shooting guards, Hardy's field goal percentage ended up right below the average mark of 45.0 percent. But, Hardy shot the ball better from behind the arc than the average shooting guard. In comparison, an NBA shooting guard shoots on average, 37.0 percent.

The former high school phenom shot the ball extremely well considering how inefficient he was as a G-Leaguer. After the season, it was expected Hardy would parlay his excellent first season into a fantastic Summer League, but Hardy disappointed.

He shot below average from the floor and from three. Among the eighteen Summer League participants who attempted more than fifteen shots per game, Hardy ranked thirteenth in shooting percentage.

If the Mavericks coaching staff plans to give Hardy extended action, he must display similar or improved efficiency. His consistency has been lacking throughout his professional tenure, but luckily for Hardy and Dallas, the Mavs roster has two premier shot creators.

Hardy won't be thrust into a creating role with Dallas. He will be allowed to continue honing his playmaking skills and work as a spot-up shooter and secondary playmaker alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

2. Improved playmaking

The Mavericks acquired Jaden Hardy because of his ability to score, not his ability to facilitate. However, facilitation is still important for a 6-foot-3 guard.

While playing for the G-League Ignite, Hardy averaged 3.2 assists per game, good for third amongst Ignite players in the 2022-23 season. Averaging more than three assists is commendable for a scoring guard, but Hardy averaged a miserable 3.5 turnovers per game while suiting up for the Ignite.

Despite these porous numbers, once again Hardy demonstrated he may be better suited to playing with the Mavericks. He averaged 1.4 assists to 1.0 turnovers per game. Per 36 minutes, Hardy averaged 3.3 assists per game, an average mark in the association.

Upon examining the best shooting guards in the league, most average anywhere from three to five assists per game. Hardy's per 36 minutes stats align, as above three assists per game make the cut. But, Hardy must continue to display his playmaking prowess once he's thrust into a larger role.

In only about fifteen minutes per game a season ago, Hardy's role was simplified. He was tasked with knocking down open shots. Hardy wasn't overly exerted on the playmaking spectrum.

To reach his full potential, playmaking will certainly be a key component of Hardy's game. Hardy has good athleticism and ball-handling skills, so the problem is not his ability to penetrate or drive, but his ability to make decisions on the fly.

To better Hardy's playmaking, allowing the youngster to operate pick-and-rolls and further create off the dribble would do wonders for his game.

A prime example of improved playmaking with additional offensive responsibilities is the Grizzlies' Desmond Bane. Bane averaged less than a pick-and-roll per game as a rookie. And subsequently, he averaged only 1.7 assists in 22.3 minutes per game.

Flash forward to the past season. He averaged 3.4 pick-and-rolls and 4.4 assists per game. As a shoot-first player, Bane has diversified his game to heighten his ceiling. Hardy can do the same.

1. Defense

Last, but not least, defense. As it's been mentioned throughout the entirety of the article, Hardy is a fantastic shooter and an improving all-around offensive player. But his defense has left much to be desired.

As far as counting stats go, Hardy only averaged 0.4 steals per game. Although Hardy is a bit undersized, he does have a massive 6-foot-9 wingspan which typically coincides with great defense. Additionally, he is athletic and nimble, thus the intangibles are there.

But as is the case with most young guards, the awareness and discipline of a solid defender is absent. Hardy ranked in the bottom 75th percentile of all players in the NBA in defensive rating. Although not the worst of the Mavs, Hardy recorded a defensive rating of 115.6.

And among players to qualify, Hardy would rank in the bottom five percentile if his defensive box plus/minus were eligible to rank amongst players.

When dissecting advanced defensive analytics further, it is a common theme for young guards to litter the ranks as the worst defenders. So, Hardy is absolutely not a lost cause on defense. And, looking at the bright side, Hardy wasn't even the worst defender on the Mavericks. He graded out as an average Dallas defender.

Hardy may never become an elite defender and that's fine. But if Hardy were to reach his max potential, becoming at least an average to above-average defender would keep Hardy on the court for 30-plus minutes per game.

Numerous players in the association have several weaknesses. Some are to no fault of their own. A lack of athleticism, size, or skill can damper one's ceiling.

As for Hardy, he doesn't truly possess a tangible weakness. He's athletic, has solid size for a guard, can shoot the lights out, can handle the ball, and has a great work ethic.

Reaching one's potential in the NBA is a difficult task to accomplish. But, Hardy seems to have what it takes. The young Maverick only has a few obstacles he must overcome to fully reach his ceiling.