The New York Knicks' No. 24 pick in the 2013 draft, Tim Hardaway Jr., joined his fifth NBA team over the summer, signing a one-year, veteran's minimum deal with the Nuggets. Through the first month of the season, he's made his contract look like a steal, averaging 11.4 points per game on 47.1% shooting from three (his career-high from three is 39.8%) on an average of 5.4 attempts per contest.
Denver made several moves during the offseason, from turning Michael Porter Jr. into Cam Johnson to reuniting with Bruce Brown. Signing Hardaway was viewed as a good move for his shooting, but it flew under the radar, given what else they did. So far this season, Hardaway has proven to be their best offseason addition.
It feels like it's been forever since THJ suited up for the Knicks (twice), but it's only been six years. New York included Hardaway in the Kristaps Porziņġis trade in 2019. It seems like that was a lifetime ago because there's only one current Knicks player who was around then, and that is, of course, Mitchell Robinson.
Former Knicks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is thriving in Denver
Hardaway spent his rookie season in New York before the team traded him in the 2014 offseason to Atlanta for the draft rights to Jerian Grant. Hardaway returned to the Knicks before the 2017-18 season on a four-year, $71 million contract as a restricted free agent. After the 2019 trade to Dallas, he spent five and a half seasons with the Mavericks before being traded to the Pistons in 2024.
He started all 77 games he played for Detroit last season, helping power the Pistons to the first round of the playoffs. Detroit didn't re-sign Hardaway, a decision that the organization might wish it could undo since Malik Beasley's future is still unclear, so he landed with Denver. He's still searching for his first NBA title, and that could happen with Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets.
Hardaway has fit right in. He stepped into the starting lineup on Nov. 15 with Christian Braun and Johnson sidelined, finishing with a season-high 23 points (5-of-6 shooting from three), three rebounds, one assist, and one block in 29 minutes. The Nuggets beat the Timberwolves on the road, 123-112, for their seventh straight win.
His three-point shooting percentage will cool off as the season goes on, but that doesn't mean this won't be his best shooting season from deep. It's one of the many pluses of play alongside Jokić, as he can create looks for his teammates that no other player can.
Denver's front office emphasized depth over the offseason because its starters ran out of gas the past couple of seasons. Adding a quick-release shooter in Hardaway to the bench is aging better than anyone thought.
The Knicks ran into THJ in the first round of the playoffs last season, and maybe they'll see him again in 2026, but in the NBA Finals. Who says no?