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New York Knicks: Tim Hardaway Jr. embracing high expectations

By Maxwell Ogden

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: Tim Hardaway Jr. #10 of the Atlanta Hawks celebrates after scoring against the Washington Wizards in the first half of Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at at Verizon Center on April 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 26: Tim Hardaway Jr. #10 of the Atlanta Hawks celebrates after scoring against the Washington Wizards in the first half of Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at at Verizon Center on April 26, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. knows what the cost of his contract entails. He isn’t running from the pressure.

The New York Knicks took a polarizing leap of faith when general manager Steve Mills invested four years and $71 million in shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. Thus far, it’s been labeled as the most shocking move of the summer.

As Knicks fans process what Hardaway Jr.’s contract entails, the expectations are beginning to grow in a seemingly insurmountable manner.

With an average of nearly $18 million per season coming Hardaway Jr.’s way, all eyes will be on his long-term development. That isn’t to say that he hasn’t already made progress, but instead that he still has work to do in order to justify the contract.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, Hardaway Jr. isn’t shying away from the pressure that will come with his new contract.

"“I think I just have to come in with the same mindset I came in with last season. I know how much work I put in in the offseason, I know how much work I put in during the season,” Hardaway Jr. said. “Yes there’s pressure but you got to embrace it, you got to take it to heart. I’m ready to fulfill, to do whatever I have to do to help this team succeed as a ball player on and off the court.”"

This far from guarantees that Hardaway Jr. will live up to the hype, but he’s committed to making good on the chance that Mills took on him.

Hardaway Jr. was named to the All-Rookie First Team during the 2013-14 season, but he underwhelmed in the two seasons that followed. After working his way up from the D-League in 2015-16, however, he broke out with a career-year in 2016-17.

Hardaway set career-highs in points per game (14.5) and points per 36 minutes (19.1), as well as rebounds, assists, and steals both per game and per 36 minutes.

Not only did he produce with greater volume than ever before, but Hardaway Jr. did so while setting a career-high in field goal percentage at .455.

At 25 years of age, it stands to reason that Hardaway Jr. will continue to improve as his career progresses. He’s widely regarded as a gunner with a solid, but not elite outside shot, but he’s becoming a more efficient and selective scorer.

If he can continue to make progress as a scorer, 3-point shooter, and defensive player, then it’s within the realm of possibility that Hardaway Jr. could justify the contract.

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If Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to put the work in, he could live up to the high expectations and thus resurrect the New York Knicks.