National Basketball Association

Tim Hardaway Jr. showing signs the Hawks hoped for

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The 2016-17 season was Tim Hardaway Jr.’s last chance to prove he was worth the trade two summers ago. He looks to be finding his groove early on.

Tim Hardaway Jr. entered the 2016-17 season with enormous pressure on his shoulders. After underperforming last season averaging just 6.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 16.9 minutes, fans began to question whether or not he could ever fill the role of becoming an effective scorer off the bench.

It seemed like Hardaway Jr. was lost last season on both ends of the floor. A player with his skills has the ability to impact a game significantly, but if he isn’t getting involved offensively, he will be less dialed in on defense.

In the first two games this season, Hardaway Jr. looks much more comfortable. Although his showing against the Sixers wasn’t mind-blowing, finishing with seven points on 3-of-11 shooting, he did have an excellent outing in the season opener against Washington.

Against the Wizards, Hardaway Jr. was the catalyst for the Hawks ultimately pulling away for the victory. He scored 21 points on 8-of 13 shooting from the field including 3-of-5 from three-point range.

The key with getting the type of outing Hardaway Jr. had against the Wizards is letting him see the ball go through the net within his first few attempts. When that happens, you can notice a huge difference in his involvement and effort from there on out. A great example came against the Wizards once he connected on his first three. Following that, he had the defense at his mercy, using a shot-fake to attack the basket and converting multiple lay-ups.

Hardaway Jr. and Thabo Sefolosha have been tremendous off the bench thus far for the Hawks. If they can find consistency within their performances, it’ll make this Hawks team one of the top teams in the conference.

The Hawks have won their first two games by a combined 47 points. There have been plenty of bright spots along the way, but scoring off the bench was one of the biggest question marks heading into this season.

The Hawks host the Sacramento Kings Monday night for a 7:30pm ET tip-off.