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Why the Atlanta Hawks should keep Tim Hardaway Jr.

By Xavier Cooper

Apr 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) dances after hitting a three-pointer during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Hawks won 114-100. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) dances after hitting a three-pointer during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. The Hawks won 114-100. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The biggest debacle amongst the Atlanta Hawks is whether or not they should keep Paul Millsap and Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason.

The Atlanta Hawks organization has stated in the past that Millsap is their main target, but keeping Tim Hardaway Jr. may be more important.

In today’s league, having elite players at positions 1-3 are fundamentally more important than trying to find the next Dirk Nowitzki or Tim Duncan. If the best player on your roster is at the power forward position it has been proven that you will not have much success in the current NBA. This was the case for the Atlanta Hawks, whose best player was Paul Millsap this season. Having a good set of big men is still important but having great big men isn’t necessary when you have talent in your back-court.

Every team that has made the playoffs and made deep playoff runs depended on a player or players from the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward position to take them there. Boston had Isaiah Thomas, Cleveland has Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, Washington had John Wall and Bradley Beal, Warriors have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant, Spurs had Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills, and the Rockets had James Harden. This is why re-signing Tim Hardaway Jr. should be a priority.

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The Hawks already have an up and coming point guard in Dennis Schroder and a small forward with a high ceiling in Taurean Prince. Both of these players have the potential to be All-Star to superstar level athletes. Bringing back Tim Hardaway Jr. helps fill the one of the most important positions in today’s league. Those three players could be an elite foundational core for the future. They’re young and have plenty of room to grow.

Schroder (23), Hardaway (25), and Prince (23) could be the Eastern Conference’s version of the Golden State Warriors. Ok, maybe not that good, but they could be the core to take the Hawks to the NBA Finals in years to come. All three of these players have already started putting work in the gym. Sure, we don’t know exactly how good Hardaway or any other Hawks player can be. What we do know is that Hardaway took a huge leap with limited minutes.

Hardaway only played 27.3 minutes and averaged 14.5 points per game. He doesn’t play close to starter minutes and still produced good numbers this season. He shot 35.7% from the 3-point line and raised his rebounding and assists numbers. A further improved Tim Hardaway Jr. with a significant boost in minutes for the 2017-2018 NBA season could turn out an elite player. Hardaway proved he can be unstoppable at times, he just has to put it all together.

He works incredibly hard at getting better in the offseason and showed it this year by taking over games when the Hawks needed it the most. The only knock against Hardaway, was that he didn’t show up in the playoffs. Simply put, it can be hard to perform on the big stage when its your first time as a starter in the postseason. Next year Hardaway should be more comfortable in such a huge moment. There are already videos of Hardaway working on his iso-moves, jumpshots, and dribbling moves, and free agency hasn’t even started yet.

The Hawks are have been a good defensive team since Coach Mike Budenholzer joined the organization but offensively they’ve continually struggled. Hardaway may not contribute much on the defensive end, however he is unparalleled in terms of explosiveness on offense. This is what the Hawks desperately need.  The Hawks have lacked a go-to scorer since Joe Johnson left, and Hardaway could be the guy to make offense when no one else can. The Hawks could try and sign a free agent at that position, but Atlanta isn’t exactly the luckiest team in free agency. One thing is for sure, the Hawks need a strong backcourt for the future, and re-signing Hardaway could be the answer.