4 Mavericks who could get axed from Jason Kidd's playoff rotation

On Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks to improve to 46-30 on the year with just six games remaining in the regular season.

Dallas has been on a tear over the last couple of weeks, and they are showing the rest of the NBA that they are legit contenders in the Western Conference.

Since the playoffs will be here in less than two weeks, fans have already started looking ahead and trying to predict who the Mavs will play in the first round.

4 Mavericks who could get axed from Jason Kidd's playoff rotation

While it seems like most Mavs fans want them to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, all signs are pointing to them having a rematch with the LA Clippers. This would be a fun series as well, and when the playoffs begin, everyone's leashes become shorter.

There is no room for error in the postseason, and players who are playing on a nightly basis during the regular season may see a huge decrease in playing time once the playoffs begin.

Here are four Dallas Mavericks players who could get axed from Jason Kidd's playoff rotation later this month.

4. Jaden Hardy

Jaden Hardy has been one of the most up-and-down players on the Dallas Mavericks this season, and his play is declining some at the worst possible time. While Hardy is still showing flashes as a scorer, his occasional tunnel vision even when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are on the floor is not the best.

Hardy was having an amazing stretch when he was playing in the flow of the offense, and we haven't seen as much of his playmaking recently as we once did.

It doesn't help Hardy's case that Jason Kidd has alluded to him not being in the rotation within the last month, but the playoffs might be the time that Hardy is removed from the rotation completely (until next season).

Kidd said that he hopes Josh Green can return to the lineup during Dallas' road trip next week, and he hopes that he can play some before the playoffs start to get his legs under him. Green returning to the rotation could mean that Hardy goes to the bench, and it seems likely that his already small role will be minimized.

Hardy could get hot again and become a key piece of the rotation but don't expect many "Hardy parties" in the playoffs.

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