Hardy is expected to miss extended time after suffering an ankle injury last night
The Mavericks were dealt another catastrophic blow Monday night when Kyrie Irving tore his ACL against the Sacramento Kings, most likely upending the season once and for all. With so much focus rightfully concentrated on Irving, news regarding Jaden Hardy has gotten somewhat lost in the shuffle.
At times this season it felt as though the Mavs incurred an injury each game. While that may not have actually been the case, the Mavs did outdo themselves last night in a blowout loss to the Kings. Shortly after losing Kyrie, his substitution Hardy went down writhing in pain with an ankle injury. Now Chris Haynes reports that Hardy will join the list of players that will miss extended time due to injury.
Dallas Mavericks will be without Jaden Hardy for a period of time after he sustained an ankle sprain last night, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/1jHvgwvEyQ
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 4, 2025
On the season, the 22-year-old is averaging eight points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Hardy saw a slight up-tick in most statistical categories over last year, highlighted by 38.4% on three-point field goals. While he may not have taken the leap in production that many fans would have hoped, he certainly had moments where he showed off his microwave scoring. He dropped in point totals of 23, 25 and 21 (twice) this season.
Aside from the inherent disappointment of a multi-game injury, the insult here is that Hardy was set to see the more minutes due to the absence of Irving. This windfall of minutes, and with it invaluable experience, lasted less than a single game. In what appeared to be the death knell of the season when Kyrie went down, it became quickly apparent that players like Hardy were poised to get more court time than ever before. While there is no indication Hardy will be out for the season, at the very least he will miss valuable time he could have otherwise used to showcase his talents. Further, he likely would have played more of a shooting guard role than the point guard role he often played (and struggled with) as a bench player to this point in the season.
To say this year will be remembered as one of the most bizarre seasons in the annals of Mavericks history would be a massive understatement. Perhaps some of the walking wounded will find good fortune in the coming days and weeks and maybe, just maybe, this squad will someday show us what they can be at their best and healthiest.