Jaden Hardy: 2022 NBA Draft Scouting Report
The top scorer on the G-League Ignite has been a polarizing prospect but remains firmly entrenched in our top ten
Jaden Hardy remains one of the most polarizing prospects in the 2022 draft class. While March Madness dominates television screens and college basketball takes center stage, Hardy and the G-League Ignite have wrapped up their season. In a time when we look for prospects who peak in March and improve as the season goes on, the prospect who embodies that the most is sitting in the Ignite program in Jaden Hardy.
We’ve written extensively about Hardy before, describing why his game and its lack of athleticism require patience to sift through. He’s a really good scorer who hasn’t learned how to create space against top-tier athletes and needs to gain the tricks of the trade in order to be successful.
Split the season into thirds and the progression Hardy has undertaken is quite notable. Hardy’s start was pretty dismal, both from an efficiency standpoint and in terms of the eye test. He was taking bad shots, missing them most, was pretty poor on defense and couldn’t convert on the interior. Credit to Hardy and the team’s coaching staff, they have done a fantastic job adding micro-skills and getting Hardy to alter his game mid-season.
Watch Hardy late in the year and he looks more explosive (although still not an above-average athlete or finisher). He’s playing with more pace, looks tighter with his handle, is getting better as a passer and has cut out some of the wasteful jumpers. He’s more confident with the ball in his hands, and it shows in his numbers.
Final 8: 22.5 PTS, 4.9 REB, 4.2 AST, 2.8 TO, 1.5 STL. 42% FG, 37.7% 3FG
Middle 9: 18.9 PTS, 3.2 REB, 2.7 AST, 4.1 TO, 0.9 STL. 37.8% FG, 27.7% 3FG
First 7: 17.9 PTS, 5.3 REB, 3.4 AST, 2.9 TO, 1.4 STL. 33.1% FG, 28.3% 3FG
There is a horrible habit among casual fans and some scouts to let the initial impression that a prospect makes stick far longer than it should. Hardy has gotten so much better throughout the year — and he still has a lot to continue to improve — and it goes largely unnoticed. He’s been a little out of sight, out of mind. He’s not going to amass the shooting percentages to impress on a first glance. But he’s gotten a lot better and is, at minimum, a mid-first rounder as a result.
The tape and the entirety of the process will bear out well for Hardy in the long run. The draft is still almost 90 days away, with plenty of time between now and then to let interviews or workouts drive his stock back up where it belongs.
Evaluating Hardy is also about remembering that he’s playing against grown men and NBA-caliber players. When attacking the basket, he’s driving onto Greg Monroe, Harry Giles and Cameron Oliver, all of whom are better interior players and defenders than pretty much anyone in college. Guys like Luka Garza, Tacko Fall and Jonathan Kuminga are starting at the 5. The talent level alone is a piece of context that is missing from Hardy’s early-season struggles. His finish to the year is as much about how tough an adjustment it is going from high school to the pros as it is what he’s improved from a skill perspective.
Hardy is also playing without elite NBA teammates. His backcourt mates and pick-and-roll partner are all teenagers; Dyson Daniels and Marjon Beauchamp are talented prospects but also lack the seasoning of their opponents. Michael Foster, the de facto big with the team, has a lot of scoring skill but doesn’t blanket the perimeter mistakes made by the young guards on the other end.
Pick-and-roll reps that Hardy gets have been getting are in dismal spacing. Many empty-side reps (rare in the NBA) with three non-shooters on the weak side cramps his ability to turn the corner and get to the rim. Daniels (27.3%), Beauchamp (27.3%), Foster (20%) and Scoot Henderson (23.3%) all struggled from deep. The spacing around Hardy was absolutely abysmal, further limiting the driving lanes available for him to get to the rim.