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New York Knicks: 5 reasons Tim Hardaway Jr. can win Most Improved Player

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the preseason game on October 3, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets during the preseason game on October 3, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 30: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks looks on during practice at Kicks Training Facility on September 30, 2017 in Tarrytown, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 30: Tim Hardaway Jr. #3 of the New York Knicks looks on during practice at Kicks Training Facility on September 30, 2017 in Tarrytown, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Projected Improvements On Defense

One could argue that Tim Hardaway Jr. will be disqualified from the Most Improved Player race if he doesn’t improve on defense. He made progress between 2015-16 and 2016-17, but he’s still a below-average defender who’s in desperate need of improvement.

If Hardaway’s offensive contributions are matched by improvements on defense, he’ll have a legitimate case for being the Most Improved Player in the NBA.

Hardaway finished the 2016-17 regular season ranked No. 53 amongst shooting guards and No. 352 overall in Defensive Real Plus-Minus at -1.08. Those are dreadful rankings, as well as a slight decline from his mark of -1.01 in 2015-16—a number that needs context.

Hardaway is in no way a high-quality defender, but he played better defense in 2016-17 than he managed to in 2015-16.

Hardaway committed enough energy to defense to stay on the court with a Hawks team that sent him to the D-League just one year prior. He’ll need to at least become average on defense in 2017-18, but the progress is intriguing—and goes beyond the numbers.

At 6’6″ and 205 pounds with a 6’7″ wingspan and above-average athleticism, Hardaway should be a much better defender than he is—and Jeff Hornacek will aim to help him realize that potential.

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