The Mavs lost in Game 4 of the conference finals, but Jaden Hardy undoubtedly had his best game of the series with 13 points on 5/8 shooting including 3/4 behind the 3-point line in 12 minutes.
But his contribution goes beyond scoring, because Jaden Hardy also brought energy off the bench to try to wake up the Mavs, like when he dunk on Kyle Anderson.
“I tried to involve the audience and get everyone excited,” thus specifies Jaden Hardy. “I saw that there was only one player left in front of me and no one helping, so I decided to go to the circle. ».
A performance that did not go unnoticed
After a few good possessions, Jaden Hardy was encouraged by Luka Doncic to try harder. “I told him to continue. When you're open, shoot. When they come on you, go to the basket. Keep on going, ” says the Slovenian.
“It was great to see shots go in when I was on the court,” testifies the replacement. “I'm just trying to bring energy, and bring something different to the team in this title campaign. […] But being there with these guys, I feel comfortable when guys like Luka and Kai (Kyrie Irving) trust me with the ball. When they give me the 'go', I go, and I'm not afraid of anyone. »
A performance which pleased his coach, who knows that he can count on his young back to bring offensive punch to the team, even if he is used in homeopathic doses (6 minutes on average) in these playoffs.
“Look at his ability to score. He's not afraid of anyone.” assures Jason Kidd. “And we’ll need it.” He has the trust of coaches and his teammates. You can notice in this series, he plays at a very high level. And away from home, we will need his scoring and his ability to dictate the game.”
