Tim Hardaway Jr. may have a chance to start immediately for the New York Knicks. (photo courtesy: Adam Glanzman)
With the bat of an eyelash, the Jason Kidd “era” in New York is now over (didn’t it just start?) as Tim Hardaway Jr., the 24th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, will wear Kidd’s No. 5 in his first season in orange-and-blue, the same number his father, Tim Hardaway Sr., wore as a rookie for the Golden State Warriors all the way back in 1989.
Like father, like son? Not exactly. Junior’s game is absolutely nothing like senior’s. The 6’0″ Hardaway in his heyday had a crooked jump shot and a lighting quick crossover that was one of the deadliest one-on-one moves in the NBA. For the 6’6″ Hardaway Jr., his forte is perimeter shooting and his form and release are anything but crooked.
The New York Knicks have a ton of talent. After winning 54 games last season, they were able to add Andrea Bargnani and Metta World Peace to the roster in addition to retaining Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith. But the Knicks had one of the most inconsistent backcourts in the league last season. Jason Kidd was terrific for the first quarter of the year before falling off of a cliff, and J.R., while better than usual in 2013, is still the same, enigmatic J.R. Coach Mike Woodson had a revolving door at shooting guard all year, with Pablo Prigioni and Iman Shumpert in the mix as well. Prigioni was steady, but on a team that relies on creating space for scoring champion Carmelo Anthony, they need better shooting in that spot. Iman Shumpert was a stout defender and showed flashes on offense, but he has yet to prove he can be a consistent, knock down shooter as well.
So with Kidd gone, Prigioni a year older and J.R. Smith likely to be the main scoring option off the bench for Woodson’s bunch, the opportunity is there for Tim Hardaway Jr. to compete for a starting job immediately. In 2012-13 for Michigan, the 21-year-old shooting guard shot 38 percent from deep as a featured option on a team that made a run all the way to the NCAA title game. Now as pro, he’ll have the opportunity to feed off of open looks often created by double teams on Anthony and the pick-and-roll action that Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler seemingly perfected early on last season. He is exactly the type of player the Knicks needed to bolster their backcourt and he has the prototypical size to develop into a solid defender as well. Ironic, considering his dad used to terrorize the Knicks throughout the 1990s as a member of the Miami Heat.
Hardaway Sr. still holds a special place in his heart for his New York Knicks angst. Now a scout in South Beach, he’s made it pretty clear he won’t be visiting Madison Square Garden with orange-and-blue pom-poms anytime soon. “When they play against us, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” the elder Hardaway said. “That question has been asked many, many, many times and I don’t know. The years that I played and the rivalry that we had, now it’s coming full circle. My son is going to play for the Knicks. I’m very happy for him. It’s not about me, it’s about him, and it’s about him being happy now and I’m happy for him.”
One thing New York knows it is getting in Hardaway Jr.? A player who is willing to put in the work. He’s already proven he can step back and be a complimentary piece in college and he’s said many times he is aware of his flaws (ball handling, defensive consistency) and wants to eventually turn them into strengths. Self-awareness in a 21-year- old NBA player? Never a bad thing.