I found this excellent article about Hardy on r/Mavericks.
Apparently in high school his real strengths were scoring and playing off the ball, and a lot of his struggles in the g-league were due to him all of a sudden being made the primary ball handler. He struggled hard at first, but if you just look at the numbers, he progressed A LOT over his 24 games there (not 12 as I originally thought.)
First 8 Games:
17.1 PTS | 5.0 REB | 3.8 AST
1.4 STL | 3.3 TOV | 28.8 USG% | 45.5 TS%
32.9 FG% | 25.9 3P% | 90.5 FT%
Second 8 Games:
17.6 PTS | 2.9 REB | 2.9 AST
0.8 STL | 3.9 TOV | 31.2 USG% | 54.0 TS%
37.1 FG% | 27.8 3P% | 70.0 FT%
Last 8 Games:
22.5 PTS | 4.9 REB | 4.1 AST
1.8 STL | 2.9 TOV | 30.8 USG% | 54.9 TS%
42.2 FG% | 37.7 3P% | 85.7 FT%
Quote:
When you look back at Jaden Hardy as a high school basketball player, it?s not difficult to figure out his strengths. Hardy has lethal, and I do mean LETHAL, range from beyond the perimeter. Sometimes you wonder if he was ever going to hit the rim with some of his shooting displays. Hardy showed the most confidence when it came to playing off the ball. He?d run off a screen or two, catch a pass seven feet beyond the three-point line, and let it fly without any hesitation that it was going to be nothing but net.
Fast forward to the G-League Ignite, and it was a rude awakening at the beginning of the year for the sharpshooting guard. Many continued to scratch their heads and wonder what was happening to this once-projected Top 5 selection. If Hardy was supposed to be such a sensational talent when it came to his scoring ability, why was he struggling so much?
The best part about watching young prospects in the G-League is that you get a real opportunity to see the growth throughout the season. The Ignite knew exactly what Hardy was going to be comfortable with doing. They understood that the 19-year-old guard was a weapon from well beyond NBA range. But they also knew they needed to develop the rest of his game, even if it meant some growing pains were expected.
The G-League Ignite will put players in uncomfortable positions so they can get comfortable. In life, if you want to see growth, you got to get out of your comfort zone. The same can be said for basketball, especially when it comes to developing a young player.
So that?s exactly what the Ignite did. They put Hardy in an unfamiliar situation. They made him a primary ball-handler, asking him to run the offense and learn how to read opposing defenses. Sure, the Ignite could have simply allowed Hardy to play off the ball the entire year and continued to hammer away at his ?strength? on a nightly basis. But then what happens if he got to the NBA and can?t read a defense? What happens if he?s asked to run a pick-and-roll at the next level and he doesn?t understand how to go through his progressions?
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https://www.noceilingsnba.com/p/exit...ne-jaden-hardy
I'm downright excited about this kid now. Could be a total steal. It'll probably be a season or two before we really see it, but down the road he could really be something.