There seems to be a general expectation that Jaden Hardy will not play much, if at all, for the Los Angeles Lakers this coming NBA season. The guard was acquired in a July trade with the Washington Wizards, along with two future second-round draft picks, for center Deandre Ayton, and he has been an afterthought since.
But Hardy could become a decent break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option for coach JJ Redick. He is a proven 3-point threat, and while he's considered below average in every other facet of the game, teams can never have too much 3-point shooting.
In a video for the Lakers' YouTube channel, he listed the things fans can expect from him.
“Lakers fans can expect good energy from me,” Hardy said. “Three-level scorer, somebody who’s coming
in, lifting up their teammates, great energy and super excited to play in front of the fans. See you soon.”
The 24-year-old has a career average of 8.4 points in 14.9 minutes a game and has made 38.6% of his 3-point attempts in his four NBA seasons. He's a high-volume 3-point shooter, and he's also efficient from the mid-range area.
Better yet, Hardy spent his first two and a half seasons playing alongside Luka Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks, so the two likely won't have to spend much time figuring out how to thrive alongside each other.
Last season, Hardy averaged a career-high 9.2 points in 15.8 minutes per game and hit 39.7% from 3-point range. The Mavericks traded him to the Wizards in February as part of the deal that sent former Lakers superstar big man Anthony Davis to Washington.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Jaden Hardy tells Lakers fans what they can expect from him
