2. Tim Hardaway Jr.
Hardaway Jr. is off to the best start of his six years as a Dallas Maverick, averaging 17.7 points per game. Known as a notorious streak shooter, he is shooting 38.9% from three, which is actually on the higher end of his career.
Those are nice and all, but then when you take a look at Hardaway Jr.’s volume of shots, your eyes pop. He’s shooting 38.9% from three on NINE ATTEMPTS A GAME. That is an insane percentage for that much volume! He has knocked down 21 three-pointers this season, tied for 9th in the league with Paul George.
Another factor that must be considered is that Hardaway Jr. isn’t doing this with more minutes – he is doing it in fewer minutes. This year, so far, he’s averaging 29 minutes per game, compared to 30.3 from last year.
Tim Hardaway Jr. drains the corner triple for the Mavs' first lead over the Hornets 💥pic.twitter.com/kJLdtXUY62
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 6, 2023
I expect Hardaway Jr. to cool down a little bit based on his career averages and tendencies, but the Mavericks are HOT to start the year at 5-1, so if they continue to play with this much juice, perhaps it’s good juju for him. And we all know that with Luka, Hardaway Jr. will continue to get many open catch-and-shoot opportunities.
He currently has +650 odds to win the award.