Tim Hardaway Jr. Finally Finding His Niche With Hawks

Tim Hardaway Jr. has had difficulty this season acclimating as a part of the Atlanta Hawks; but over the past two months is finally finding a role for himself in Mike Budenholzer’s system.

After a trade on draft night last June that sent point guard Jerian Grant to the New York Knicks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr., unrealistic expectations were placed on the third-year guard out of Michigan.

The Atlanta Hawks gave up a lot to acquire Hardaway last offseason, and in turn fans and pundits alike decried the trade as misstep for general manager Wes Wilcox and head coach/president of basketball operations Mike Budenholzer.

This was, however, a typical Hawks move. Two years ago, the Atlanta Hawks traded for a little known forward at the time named DeMarre Carroll, and transformed him into one of the better wings in the game right now. Carroll signed a five-year, $60 million deal with the Toronto Raptors this offseason.

The hope was to do the same with Hardaway,who possessed the shooting ability that Budenholzer so covets.

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While with the New York Knicks, Hardaway was an offensive spark plug, showing great shooting ability but struggling with his consistency. In his first season in New York, Hardaway averaged 10.2 points per game while shooting 36.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Last season, he raised his scoring average to 11.5 points per game, but saw his shooting percentage decrease from nearly 43 percent from the year before to 38.9 percent.

Hardaway was also never known for his defensive prowess, ranking as one of the worst defensive players in the league over the past two seasons. Upon becoming a part of the Atlanta Hawks, it was clear that Budenholzer saw something that he believed could help improve his team; but first, Hardaway would have to change as a player, and learn to buy into the Hawks system.

Budenholzer’s philosophy is predicted on unselfish play on offense and defense. The foundation of the Hawks’ offensive system is moving the basketball, creating open shots and exploiting mismatches. Egos cannot exist in Bud’s system, and players must jettison their selfish ambitions in order for the system to work.

As a member of the New York Knicks, Hardaway played in an entirely different offense. Isolations played a key role on a team with Carmelo Anthony, and that simply was not going to cut it in Atlanta. Additionally, Hardaway would have to learn to play defense: the other component of Budenholzer’s system.

The shooting ability was already there, but until Hardaway learned to play defense and play unselfishly on offense, he could not become a contributor for the Hawks.

The transition was not easy, as Hardaway spent the better part of the first two months of the season either in the D-League or wearing street clothes at the end of the Atlanta bench. For as much as the Hawks had given up to acquire Hardaway last summer, it was discouraging to see nearly no contributions whatsoever in the early part of the campaign.

Former second-round pick Lamar Patterson — who was a non-roster invitee to training camp — assumed a bulk of the reserve minutes on the wing, supplanting the role many though Hardaway would possess.

“Though his 4.8 points per game average is nothing spectacular, Hardaway has become a key part of the Atlanta Hawks as they enter the stretch run.”

Fans thought that something was amiss in the locker room: that perhaps Hardaway was not a fit for the team and was not buying into Budenholzer’s system. The Hawks’ coach continually affirmed his support for Hardaway, stating the player was working day in and day out on the practice court. Between November and January, Hardaway played in only four games for the Hawks.

As the season entered January though, Budenholzer began to afford Hardaway more minutes, and saw a change in the way that he played. Hardaway looked much better defensively on the court, and showed the progress he had made during the first two months of the season.

While his performance on offense was lackluster, he showed that he could become an asset for a team that has struggled with inconsistency throughout the year.

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Hardaway’s true breakthrough came last month, where he finally became a regular part of the Atlanta Hawks’ rotation. In February, Hardaway averaged 6.2 points per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field in 17.5 minutes per game.

His offense began to turn around, which greatly improved the Hawks’ depth at the wing — so much so in fact that they were able to trade Justin Holiday to the Chicago Bulls at the deadline.

Now fully settled into his role on the Hawks, Mike Budenholzer has begun to entrust Hardaway with valuable fourth-quarter minutes. Over the last two games, Hardaway has played important minutes for the Hawks against the Hornets and Warriors, playing alongside the Atlanta starters.

His shooting ability is invaluable when Kyle Korver is resting, and gives the Atlanta Hawks offense another three-point threat. He is also one of the few players on the Atlanta Hawks that is fully capable of creating his own shot.

Though his 4.8 points per game average is nothing spectacular, Hardaway has become a key part of the Atlanta Hawks as they enter the stretch run. It was unrealistic in the first place to expect Hardaway to make an immediate impact for the Hawks. That was never the plan.

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The goal of Budenholzer and the Atlanta Hawks was to help Hardaway buy into the system; and it finally seems that he has carved out a role with the team.