New York Knicks shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. has been streaky in his nature as a scorer. The key to stabilizing his offense is to stop rushing his shots.
Despite the expectation of inconsistency, the New York Knicks have jumped out to a 5-4 start to the 2017-18 NBA regular season. All eyes have been on power forward Kristaps Porzingis, who has distinguished himself as an early MVP candidate.
In order for the Knicks to maintain this pace and make a push for either the postseason or a brighter future, however, Tim Hardaway Jr. must improve.
New York signed Hardaway to a four-year deal worth roughly $71 million during the summer of 2017. The rationale behind the signing was that he could alleviate pressure from Porzingis with his proficiency as a scorer.
Over the course of his first nine games in 2017-18, however, Hardaway has struggled to score with even a slight measure of efficiency.
Hardaway is currently averaging 16.2 points and 2.6 three-point field goals made per game, but he’s doing so on a slash line of .391/.307/.821. Although most are actively criticizing Hardaway’s performances, a more constructive question must be asked and answered.
Beyond the numbers, what can Hardaway do to turn his season around and realize his potential?
On The Drive
When Hardaway goes on the drive, there’s a good possibility that he’s going to convert. He’s shooting better than 50 percent on two-point field goals, which implies that he can generate consistent offense when attacking the basket.
The problem with what Hardaway has been doing in 2017-18, however, is that his drives have generally been wild and out of control.
Hardaway has improved his handle, which is a strength that he’s attempted to put to use in 2017-18. When he gets past the first defender, however, he tends to lose control and thus rush shots from an off-balance stance.
That isn’t limited to the shots that he’s missing, either; even the drives that have ended in two points have been rather sloppy.
In some instances, shots like the one he made against Bojan Bogdanovic are necessary. One could argue that the context of the shot is that it was converted when the Knicks couldn’t seem to buy a bucket against the Pacers, and thus needed someone to step up and get a big shot to fall.
Finding stability on offense will mean getting shots to fall within the flow of the offense, however, and thus making the difficult shots far more manageable to convert.
Developing a rhythm is an invaluable process for a shooter like Hardaway, and that means having more control over his drives.
Three-Point Shot Selection
The primary flaw displayed by Tim Hardaway Jr. on the offensive end of the floor has been his shot selection from beyond the arc. He’s a more than capable shooter with deep range on his jumper, but he hasn’t exactly attempted the best of shots.
That much was exemplified by Hardaway’s pull-up three with 19 seconds remaining on the shot clock early in a possession against the Indiana Pacers.
That’s become a common occurrence—occurrences that aren’t entirely negative, but must come with better timing.
A majority of the shots that Hardaway takes aren’t ill-advised pull-ups that are early in the shot clock. Those are the shots that disrupt his rhythm, however, which is the most important aspect of a streaky shooter’s game.
During a game in which Hardaway struggled until the fourth quarter, he attempted a similar shot in the third quarter, when New York needed ball movement, but instead settled for ISO.
If the Knicks are going to establish a solid rhythm on offense, jacking up long and ill-advised threes off the bounce isn’t the route to follow. That’s especially true for Hardaway, who can make those shots, but only after establishing a previous flow to the game—something he’s generally failed to do.
Knowing how poor his shot selection has been on the drive and on three-point field goals, a question beckons: What can Hardaway do better?
The Fix: Trusting The System
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 34 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and posted a solid 23 against the Houston Rockets. During the eruption against Cleveland, Hardaway’s first two shots made were a close look off of an offensive rebound, and an alley-oop dunk.
Having seen two shots fall early in the game, Hardaway learned from a bad shot to grab his own rebound, set his feet, and convert a trey.
The first shot was poorly timed and planned, but he learned from it and did what he needs to do moving forward: Set his feet, find his balance, and line up the shot. He not only converted the bucket, but found the confidence to knock down catch-and-shoot threes for his next six points.
That was followed by a hard cut to the basket, which resulted in an assisted finish at the rim that displayed how his game should be played.
Hardaway is more than capable of creating off the bounce, and that strength must be capitalized on in 2017-18. He’s at his best when he plays within the system, however, which is why there must be a method to the acceptable madness of his game.
The Knicks’ system fits Hardaway’s game, which means his best choice would be to let it create for him before he takes it upon himself to create for it.
Must Read: Who stepped up during the 108-101 win over the Indiana Pacers?
The New York Knicks need Tim Hardaway Jr. to become a more consistent contributor. Thankfully, trusting the system will enable him to do so.