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As is custom for promising players who suffer an injury during Summer League exhibitions, the Dallas Mavericks announced that guard Jaden Hardy will miss the remainder of the Las Vegas Summer League after sustaining a left shoulder contusion during the Mavs' narrow victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Jaden Hardy (left shoulder contusion) will miss the rest of this year’s Summer League.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) July 13, 2023
Hardy's play has been the focal point of the Mavs during Summer League, with assistant coach Jared Dudley — taking over the head coaching reigns while in Las Vegas — singling him out repeatedly before and after games. While his candor and accountability have been praised by those who tuned into these media pressers, what's also been made abundantly clear is that Dallas would like Hardy to step into a rotation role this offseason.
The 37th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Hardy averaged 8.8 points per game in his rookie season, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3. However, after consistently demonstrating his prowess behind the line, the Mavs have challenged Hardy to be a better facilitator and defender in Vegas.
Hardy has had mixed results in his efforts to meet the coaching staff's expectations.
While averaging 23.0 points per game, Hardy had eight total assists through three contests and six total stocks (steals + blocks). Numbers aside, Hardy has shown improvements in how he processes the floor as a facilitator and made strides defensively as well.
Now, the main question is just how much Hardy will play. A locker room favorite of All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and a player the Mavs weren't willing to trade to the Atlanta Hawks in an effort to acquire Clint Capela, there's a lot of belief in his talent.
Yet, there's plenty of redundancy between he and recently signed Seth Curry; he must continue to work on his weaknesses in order to secure his spot in the rotation.
