Atlanta Hawks: End of Season Awards
Sixth Man of the Year: Tim Hardaway Jr.
In many of the Hawks impressive come from behind, 4th-quarter rallies, Tim Hardaway Jr played a major role off of the bench. He furiously led the team back from huge deficits, providing a surge of energy and effort that hasn’t been seen around here in a long time.
The Hawks game at Houston early on comes to mind, as well as the historic comeback from down 26 points against the Cavaliers in the 4th quarter, in the final stunning victory over the Cavs.
Atlanta dug themselves out of a late 22-point hole, during their annual trip to visit the Rockets and secured a win in the final seconds. Hardaway caught fire in the 4th, quickly getting the Hawks closer on the scoreboard in the last eight minutes. He made three 3-pointers and converted a layup through contact during his flurry. The Hawks won 113- 108.
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
In the seasons last matchup with LeBron and his cast of defending champions, Hardaway finished with 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists. The contest may effect the Hawks playoffs fortunes, as the loss squashed much of the remaining hope for Cleveland to secure the number one seed. Should the Hawks win their first round series, they’ll face the winner of Boston/Chicago instead of Cleveland/Indiana in the second round.
Tim Hardaway Jr. actually started 30 of the team’s games due to various injuries, ailments and other occasions. He did provide much of the consistent scoring for an otherwise less than formidable second unit. The remainder of his 49 games, he served as coach Bud’s sixth man.
Hardaway played 27.3 minutes per game for the most of his career. He averaged 14.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He was a relatively accurate shooter, on a team in desperate need in that area. He connected on 45.5 of his field goals, 35.7 of his threes and 76.6 on free throws.
The fiery drive and passion within his game, often pumped new life into frankly, a lot of listless team performances. Hardaway has the ability to carry his teammates over a hump they otherwise would be unable to surpass.
It could be a possibility that he belongs in the starting lineup going forward. Budenholzer has often stated that between Bazemore, Sefolosha, and Hardaway, he believes he has three starters as options on the wing, however, and it does not matter who begins the game on the floor.
Tim Hardaway Jr. does have a realistic chance to win this particular award. He compares statistically close to one of the top candidates in Eric Gordon of the Rockets. Gordon played several minutes more per game than Hardaway Jr, with 31.0. He played in 75 games, posting a 16.1 scoring average. Much of his value lies in his ability to shoot the long ball. He hit 37.6 percent of them and found a way to take nearly nine shots out there per game.
Perhaps the favorite to win the award is Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors. His numbers won’t blow anybody away, but as the top reserve on a team that won 67 games, he will get a share of the votes. He had a line of 7.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists.
Other competition that Hardaway faces is Jamal Crawford and James Johnson. While his numbers qualify him as a legitimate contender for the award, I’d be surprised if he comes away with it. It would be amazing if he does, so we shall see.