New York Knicks: Who stepped up against the Houston Rockets?

Tim Hardaway Jr.

One could reasonably argue that Tim Hardaway Jr. shouldn’t be included on the list of players who stepped up against the Houston Rockets. He shot just 4-of-12 from the field and missed both of his three-point field goal attempts during the loss to Houston.

In stark contrast to his first tenure with the New York Knicks, however, Hardaway continues to find ways to contribute beyond his scoring.

Hardaway tallied 11 points against the Rockets, but that was the least intriguing of his statistics. He dished out six assists, pulled down four rebounds, picked up one steal, and converted all three of his free throw attempts.

That may not be an elite stat line, but it’s a sign of his growth into a more well-rounded contributor—growth that was reflected by his positive +/- of +3.

Hardaway has now dished out at least five assists in six of his past seven appearances. The ability to create for his teammates is one that Hardaway rarely capitalized on in the past, but head coach Jeff Hornacek is encouraging him to become more than a scorer.

For what it’s worth: Over the course of the past seven games, Hardaway is averaging 21.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.6 three-point field goals made per game.