What new draft pick Jaden Hardy brings the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks fans weren’t expecting much from the Mavs in the 2022 NBA Draft. The team notorious for ignoring the rookie festivities appeared to be set up for a whole-lotta-nuthin once again.

Technically, the Mavs entered the day with a pick. But with that pick committed in the Christian Wood trade, it was by technicality only. Christian Wood was better than anything the Mavs could get at Pick 26 anyway.

Even though the Dallas Mavericks didn’t have a pick to make for themselves in the draft, they prepared like they did. Just in case an opportunity arose, they needed to be ready to pounce. Low and behold, that opportunity arose…

When Jaden Hardy, the 19th player on the Dallas Mavericks board fell into the second round, the Mavs pounced.

The McDonalds All-American was ESPN’s top rated guard and second overall player in their 2021 rankings. But after taking the less traditional route through the G-league, Jaden Hardy’s stock cooled and a bargain fell into the Mavs’ laps.

The 6-foot-4 guard averaged a team-high 19.8 points last season with the Ignite. His efficiency was poor but the limited sample size made the stats a little less important than the physical projection of his ability.

Hardy is a scorer. He has the ability to put the ball in the basket from all three levels. His defense is poor but given his long reach and overall athleticism, he should be functional, at the very least.

The pandemic seemingly slowed his overall development so it’s likely going to take time to develop Hardy into a contributing member of the Mavs. His 88 percent shooting from the line also indicates his shooting inefficiencies can be corrected with time.

Given his style of the game and the state of the Dallas Mavericks, Jaden Hardy probably won’t see much action early in his career. His catch and shoot numbers indicate he can be effective in a complementary role but his style of game does not support the same conclusion. My guess is the Mavs will long-play this and not try to get him to fill a little role right away.

Hardy needs development across the board and that’s going to take time to do it right