Jared Dudley didn’t try to hide the fact that second-year guard Jaden Hardy will be the Dallas Mavericks’ primary go-to
player when the NBA 2K24 Summer League starts this weekend in Las Vegas.
After the multiple shining moments Hardy enjoyed as a rookie, the Mavs are poised to do what they can to ramp his game up to the next level. Dudley said the Mavs spent this off-season’s first month just working on Hardy’s overall game.
“You don’t want, with someone who’s so young, to hold him back,” said Dudley, who is the Mavs’ summer league coach. “The last month I took over getting him ready for summer league where he could see traps, he could see low man over there making the right pass, and so I just tell Hardy, ‘Hardy is going to get his 18 or 20 shots (a game. But) 15 or 16 have to be good looks.’ “
And that’s the rub.
“Everyone knows he’s the number one player in our offense,” Dudley said following Tuesday’s opening day of summer league workouts. “But he’s got be able to make the short roll, pass to the big, you’ve got to be able to make the skip pass to AJ (Lawson) in the corner.
“For him, if he can get by the first guy and see that lone man — the guy in the corner and reading that — that’s something that’s in his 
development. But his confidence and his shot-making ability is elite. That’s why you see the potential and that’s why fans love him and see what he can potentially be.”
Hardy, who turns 21 on Wednesday, appreciates Dudley saying he’s going to make him the focal point of the offense in Las Vegas. He just hopes that propels him into becoming an every day player next season in coach Jason Kidd’s rotation.
“My focus going into summer league is to try to play the right way,” Hardy said. “Obviously, playing my game, but still trying to play the right way and making the right plays as if Luka (Doncic) was out there. . . trying to make those same decisions if I was out there. Just trying to make the smart play.”
As a rookie last season, Hardy showed a lot of promising signs, especially with his ability to fly up the court, attack the basket and drain jump shots. In 48 games, he averaged 8.8 points in just 14.8 minutes and shot 43.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three-point land.
Nowadays, Hardy is on a quest to increase his numbers and make an even healthier impression on the Mavs’ coaching staff.
“Really, I’m just trying to prepare my body for playing more games going into next season, and getting stronger and faster so I c
an help the team on both sides of the ball,” he said. “That’s really what I’ve been working on.
“Lifting, for sure, in the weight room, running and eating the right things and taking care of my body and making sure I’m not putting bad food in my body anymore.”
Hardy also has personally challenged himself to become a better defensive player.
“I feel like my defense has improved,” he said. “I feel like with me getting in better shape, I’m able to move laterally better.
“I’ve been working on my lateral quickness, working with the strength coaches and being able to stay in the stance and being able to move.”
Dudley explained that Hardy’s off-ball awareness also needs to improve.
“And then offensively, I think he shot 40% on step-back threes, so it shows you his capability,” Dudley said. “But can he make the reads, can he make the lob pass to the low man, can he make the corner pass?
“When he lets the game come to him if he’s one for six, is he going to shoot two more bad shots? And that’s why I try to ease him on, ‘Hey, you’re getting 20 shots. All my plays are for Hardy.’ Listen, we know that he has it in him, so it’s geared for him, but at the same time you have a lot of responsibility. It’s because he has the green light to shoot every time. It’s very similar to Luka.”
Hardy scored 28 points in his summer league debut last year during a 100-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls. As of now, he’s eager to collect some more success.
“I feel like I had a good summer league debut last year, but we didn’t win,” Hardy said. “That’s my main goal this year is to get wins. I feel like going into what I know now versus from last year going into summer league, I for sure feel like I’m more prepared and more seasoned.
“This is my second year going into it, so I just want to win. I feel like I don’t really have anything to prove. I just going out there trying to win. Going into my second year I feel like I have the advantage.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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