When the Atlanta Hawks acquired sharp shooter and swingman Tim Hardaway Jr. on draft night, essentially in exchange for their #15 overall draft pick, very few would have predicted that the third year guard from Michigan would have yet to log a single minute of action through the teams first 14 games. But that is exactly where both Hardaway Jr. and the Hawks are at this point in the season. But the question is…why?
Teams coming off of Eastern Conference Finals appearances rarely have picks in the top half of the draft. But thanks to the Joe Johnson deal, the Hawks were able to flip flop picks with the Brooklyn Nets last season. With the young talent sitting on the board at #15 like Kelly Oubre, Bobby Portis, Justin Anderson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the Hawks decided to do what I would expect any contending team to do. They traded (through a series of two moves) for a veteran player. The consensus was that Coach Bud was going out and adding another proven, more established player to fill out his roster rather than drafting a young prospect in need to development which, let’s face it, is what you are going to get at #15. Very rarely do guys at that spot in the draft come in their rookie season and make an impact on a team full of veterans.
THJ fit that mold perfectly. He had been a spot starter for his two years and was a proven double digit scorer in the League, albeit on a bad team. At the time, Kyle Korver and Thabo Sefolosha were both recovering from major injuries, DeMarre Carroll’s future was up in the air and the team had already moved on from John Jenkins. The team was in need of impact players on the wing. He is an athletic guy who can stretch the floor, play multiple positions and while not an elite level defender, he’s capable of providing meaningful minutes on that end of the floor. It seemed like a match made in heaven and one that I was on board with from the start.
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Fast forward to Wednesday night as the Hawks were without both Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore against the Sacramento Kings. There was THJ, not in street clothes for once, sitting on the end of the bench while rookie second round draft pick and D-League player Lamar Patterson along with last minute depth signee Justin Holiday totaled a combined 43 minutes of action in place of the injured Teague and Bazemore. Those were supposed to be THJ’s minutes. That’s why Coach Bud brought him here. That’s why we traded our first round pick for him and that’s why the fact that he has been buried on the bench is so puzzling.
Oct 14, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) makes a move against San Antonio Spurs guard Jonathon Simmons (17) in the fourth quarter of their game at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 100-86. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
He played in all 7 of the Hawks’ preseason contests averaging around 20 minutes, 6 points, 2 rebounds and an assist per game. Obviously those numbers aren’t going to blow you away but they certainly wouldn’t lead to a player being benched. Patterson’s numbers were tick better and Holiday’s were virtually the same. I watched a few of the team’s preseason games and I didn’t see anything out of THJ that would have led me to believe he’d be in this situation. So that begs the question of why hasn’t he seen the court thus far? He’s not injured and there have been minutes.
I think the only person that knows anything at this point is Coach Bud. He’s the one who controls the lineups and rotations. He hasn’t given us any indication as to the lack of playing time and he has kept any issues, if there are any, close to the vest. As someone who saw THJ play a lot of basketball in college and who has seen what he can do at the pro level, there is no doubt in my mind that he can help this team get over the proverbial hump and into the NBA Finals if given the chance. He’s no All-Star and he’s not the type of player that is going to carry a team over the course of a season but he’s got plenty of game, a high basketball IQ and the pedigree to back it up. Now he just needs the opportunity and he’ll get it at some point in the near future.
From what I can tell, THJ seems to be taking it in stride and saying all the right things. He was the first person off the bench each time the team made a big play or went on a big run. He was cheering his teammates on, wasn’t pouting and doesn’t seem to be any kind of locker room distraction. Last night, Hawks beat reporter for the AJC spoke to THJ about his playing time and his response was simple, “When my time comes, I’ll be ready.” Hopefully that time is sooner rather than later because the Hawks gave up an asset to bring him in and he has yet to provide a return on their investment.
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