New York Knicks: Tim Hardaway Jr. Deserves Bigger Role
By Bryce Olin
While filling in for injured guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, Tim Hardaway Jr. has played his way into a bigger role with the New York Knicks and deserves more playing time
For a team that’s 5-26, the New York Knicks aren’t doing a very good job of trying to mold their talent to playing within the confines of the triangle offense.
The Knicks aren’t doing a very job at anything, really, other than losing.
Other than Carmelo Anthony, there’s only been one other Knicks player who I can say is playing well, and that player is Tim Hardaway Jr.
| Rk | Player | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P% | TRB | AST | PTS ▾ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmelo Anthony | 27 | 27 | 36.7 | 9.1 | 19.8 | .458 | .331 | 6.6 | 3.2 | 24.0 |
| 2 | Amar’e Stoudemire | 28 | 13 | 26.4 | 5.3 | 9.5 | .558 | .000 | 7.4 | 1.1 | 13.1 |
| 3 | Tim Hardaway | 31 | 10 | 21.6 | 3.7 | 9.5 | .391 | .326 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 10.6 |
| 4 | J.R. Smith | 21 | 4 | 25.1 | 4.0 | 9.8 | .410 | .324 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 10.3 |
| 5 | Jose Calderon | 18 | 18 | 31.0 | 3.7 | 8.5 | .438 | .441 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 9.9 |
| 6 | Iman Shumpert | 24 | 24 | 26.0 | 3.7 | 9.0 | .409 | .348 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 9.3 |
| 7 | Jason Smith | 31 | 3 | 16.7 | 2.9 | 6.2 | .466 | .000 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 6.9 |
| 8 | Shane Larkin | 28 | 12 | 22.5 | 2.1 | 5.0 | .424 | .462 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 5.5 |
| 9 | Pablo Prigioni | 29 | 0 | 19.8 | 1.8 | 4.1 | .449 | .400 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 5.2 |
| 10 | Quincy Acy | 28 | 19 | 21.3 | 2.1 | 4.1 | .504 | .333 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 5.1 |
| 11 | Cole Aldrich | 19 | 3 | 12.3 | 1.8 | 3.2 | .557 | 3.4 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/26/2014.
Hardaway has been thrust into a bigger role over the last ten games as J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, the Knicks top two shooting guards, have been out with injuries. In that span, Hardaway has seen his minutes jump from below 20 minutes per game to 30-plus minutes per game in the last week.
More from New York Knicks
- NBA Trades: This swing-for-the-fences deal is a must for the Knicks
- Ranking Leon Rose’s three best and worst moves as Knicks President
- New York Knicks: Why Julius Randle is essential for the Knicks
- Should the Knicks trade up into the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft?
- Knicks 2023 offseason primer: free agents, trades, draft needs and more
Although Hardaway struggled on Christmas against the Washington Wizards, totaling 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting, Hardaway has excelled in his larger role with Knicks.
In his last ten games, Hardaway is averaging 14.0 points, 2.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 29.5 minutes per game. In that same span, Hardaway is only shooting 38 percent from the field, but with the Knicks terrible offense and know rhythm or execution, Hardaway often gets the ball in terrible situations and is forced to shoot contested jump shots. On a better team, Hardaway would be an above average offensive player.
Hardaway’s best game of the season came last week against the Chicago Bulls without Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks might have caught the Bulls on an off-night, but Hardaway took it to one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, Jimmy Butler, and scored 23 points in 40 minutes. In the game, Hardaway also dished out five assists for the Knicks, who lost to the Bulls 103-97.
With even a tiny bit of leadership from head coach Derek Fisher, Hardaway could be a much better player for the Knicks this season. He just needs to be let off the leash a little bit and allowed to do what he does best, scoring and getting out in transition.
So far this season, it doesn’t seem like Derek Fisher has even started coaching. The Knicks aren’t getting any better, so I don’t understand why the Knicks aren’t getting their younger players more playing time. Hardaway and Shane Larkin need time to develop to see if they are worth anything in the league.
Right now, Hardaway and Larkin are a little raw and relatively untested, but what do the Knicks have to lose by playing Hardaway and Larkin?
The New York Knicks are terrible this season, but all is not lost for the future of the New York Knicks.
New York will likely secure a top five pick in the NBA draft. Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani are coming off the books at the end of the season, clearing $35 million in cap space. On top of all that, the Knicks have also found a nice, hard-working, young player in Tim Hardaway Jr., who should be a cornerstone of the Knicks’ rebuilding efforts for years to come.