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Tim Hardaway Jr.: “I’m Happy To Be Here.”

By John Buhler

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Newly acquired Shooting Guard Tim Hardaway Jr. and Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer met with the Atlanta media for a press conference yesterday afternoon to introduce the Hawks’ newest wing player.  Tim Hardaway Jr. joins the Atlanta Hawks after being traded for the 19th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant.

-= Related: Tim Hardaway Jr.: Impact Player For The Atlanta Hawks? =-

Hardaway looks to turn the page on an up-and-down first two seasons in the Association with the lowly New York Knicks.  Tim said it best, “I’m happy to be here.”  Coach Bud said that Tim Hardaway Jr. was a player high on Atlanta’s draft board when he entered the 2013 NBA Draft after an impressive career at the University of Michigan.  Bud believes that Hardaway can provide the much-needed outside scoring off the bench for the Atlanta Hawks in 2015-16.

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    • Coach Budenholzer came away impressed with Hardaway’s ability to shoot the basketball, averaging over 10 PPG in his first two seasons in the NBA which is not easy to do.  Both men believe that Tim Hardaway Jr. is a nice fit into Bud’s system both offensively and on the defensive end of the floor.

    Hardaway acknowledged that his defense needs work, stating that it is “a work in progress” up to this point of his NBA career.  But as the son of NBA great Tim Hardaway Sr., Jr. seems like he has an open mind and a great student mentality to make great strides in his game now that he is on his second NBA team.

    You could tell through Hardaway’s tone that he’s excited to play for a winner in the Atlanta Hawks.  When he was at Michigan, his team played in a National Championship Game in 2013.  But when he was with the Knicks, he was playing for an Eastern Conference doormat.  I believe that a change of scenery and being coached by a staff that is strong in player development should take Tim Hardaway Jr.’s game to the next level.

    The more I think about the Tim Hardaway Jr. acquisition, the more I believe that this was a great under-the-radar move for the Atlanta Hawks.  It feels like similar to how I felt about the free agent signing of DeMarre Carroll heading into the 2013-14 NBA season.  Like DeMarre, Bud believes that Hardaway is a “high character guy…that has been around basketball his whole life.” Carroll’s Uncle is HC Mike Anderson of the Arkansas Razorbacks.

    Trading to get Tim Hardaway Jr. essentially was the writing on the wall for Free Agent SG John Jenkins‘ time in Atlanta.  Though Jenkins might be a more efficient outside shooter than Hardaway, Tim could factor more into the Atlanta Hawks bench rotation as Bud seems to think that Hardaway has a better defensive upside than Jenkins.

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    Heading into 2015-16, Tim Hardaway Jr. feels like a 7th to 9th guy in Bud’s rotation, behind Dennis Schroder but ahead of Shelvin Mack in the Hawks depth chart for guards.  I envision that Hardaway’s defensive mindset will improve in Year One with the Hawks as playing for a championship contending team will elevate his passion to play great defense.  He likely will shoot from a higher clip from certain spots beyond the arc, as Bud will put him in a position to accentuate his scoring ability.  No longer will Tim Hardaway Jr. be shooting highly inefficient long-range twos in an overly heady Triangle Offense like he had to in New York.

    While there are certainly bigger decisions for the Atlanta Hawks to make in free agency come Wednesday, I believe that acquiring Hardaway addresses a major flaw in the Hawks system, a dearth of outside scoring when Kyle Korver was on the bench.  Should Tim improve his game as an Atlanta Hawk, Coach Bud’s team might again contend for an NBA Championship in 2015-16.

    Next: Atlanta Hawks: Primed to Make a Free Agency Splash?

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