With the NBA postseason ramping up in the coming weeks, it’s time for those teams who didn’t make the playoffs to start looking towards the draft. The 2021 NBA Draft class was incredible, with the Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes taking home the Rookie of the Year award. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ own Evan Mobley had a historic season as well, with Rajon Rondo claiming he’s the best rookie he’s ever seen.
It wasn’t just a Mobley and Barnes show this season, as the Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham battled through multiple injuries to have a solid season. Many think he has the brightest future of any of the rookies. With that being said, it’s time to take a look at the 2022 NBA Draft class.
Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith, and Paolo Banchero are widely expected to be the first three picks, in some type of order. But, with the Cavs first-round draft pick likely falling in the late lottery, those guys will almost certainly be off the board. At the end of the 2021 high school basketball season, ESPN’s top-rated player was Holmgren. Banchero was the fifth-rated prospect, and Smith was the sixth. However, the second-best player in that class, Jaden Hardy, decided to take the G-League route instead of taking his game to college hoops. He had an up-and-down season, and considering where he was at the end of last year, many will view his G-League season as a misstep.
The good news for the Cavaliers is that he will likely be on the board when the Cavs make their selection. Hardy is a lights out shooter with a lot of athleticism. In fairness, he does need to work on his finishing at the rim, and his shot selection, but that will come with time.
So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at Jaden Hardy.
Jaden Hardy Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 6’4″, 200 LBS
G-League Stats: 21.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.9 APG
3-Point/Field Goal/FT: 33%/39%/70%
When you first watch Hardy’s game, it’s easy to fall in love with him on the offensive end. His ball-handling is up to par with some of the best in the NBA. Hardy loves to use his hesitation move to get to the rim. He has a tendency to use it too often, so working on his ball-handling arsenal will definitely be a priority for him. As for his shooting, his statistics in the G-League season don’t do it justice.
He is a knockdown shooter, with miles of range. So how did such a good shooter have such bad shooting numbers in 13 games? Well, that is more of a problem with his shot selection.
Hardy is ultra-confident, as most great basketball players need to be. However, he tends to settle for jump shots when he could draw contact going to the rim. His shot selection can definitely be improved upon, but the shots he missed in the G-League this year were good NBA-level shots. He just needs to knock them down, like he’s capable of.
On the defensive end, it’s all about effort. He’s got some quick-twitch ability, and great explosion, but does get lazy on the defensive end. He’s not a player who will average over two steals a game, or a guy who will block a lot of shots. However, if he buys into a defensive mindset, it could unlock a star two-way player, who can create his own shots.
His shot-creating ability for himself is the most intriguing aspect of his game. He uses his crafty ball-handling to feel out defenders, deciding whether to pull up or drive to the hoop. If you watched a lot of the Cavs this year, it was very evident that there weren’t a lot of shot creators on the court. Outside of Caris LeVert, who the team traded for at the deadline, the offense runs through Darius Garland. When he’s not on the floor, the offense gets incredibly stagnant.
By adding Hardy you get a player who can spot up, or take over some floor general duties as well. Now, I know a lot of you are thinking about Collin Sexton and where he would fit in with this selection, though.
What about Collin Sexton?
I clearly am one of the writers on this site that believes Collin Sexton is expendable. He is extension-eligible this offseason as a restricted free agent potentially, and the Cavaliers need to be very careful with how they deal with him.
Sexton is a very good player and scorer, but his flaws on offense and especially on defense, might not mesh well with the Cavalier rotation that flourished throughout most of the season.
He has a high usage rate, and doesn’t really add anything on the defensive end, where the Cavaliers seem to be focusing most of their attention.
In my perfect world, Collin Sexton would be a stud off the bench. He could lead the second unit and even close out games at times. However, that’s just my opinion, and if the Cavaliers want to keep one of their core players around, that’s fine with me. But, Jaden Hardy is incredibly tempting. I think he could really put the Cavs over the top, to being one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Hardy is a great player who had a down year playing against grown men. He’s still one of the youngest players in this class, and in my opinion has the best shooting stroke. There is some risk involved with taking Hardy, considering he did have a bad shooting season this past year. Even still, I ultimately think that his shot will come around in a big way. With Sexton’s possible extension lingering this offseason, the Cavalier front office will need to make some tough decisions in the coming months.
However, they would be doing themselves a disservice if they didn’t do their research on the slick shooting 19-year-old if he’s available in the first round at their pick.