Tim Hardaway Jr was one of the most underappreciated Pistons last season and is now occupying a similar role on the Nuggets. Hardaway has carved out a niche as a reliable shooter capable of getting incredibly hot while holding his own defensively. The Pistons have missed him as another perimeter scoring threat this season, and the Nuggets are reaping the benefits.
Hardaway is a solid contributor no matter where he goes
At this stage of his career, Hardaway has the fundamental skills that any role player on the wing needs. He's a respected shooter with 13 years of experience hitting threes at a high clip. Even when he's not hitting his shots at the usual rate, THJ still draws the attention of defenses to open up lanes for his teammates. Even when he hit "just" 37% of his threes for the Pistons last year, he was still one of the team's best shooters with tremendous gravity.
In Denver, Hardaway has been able to find a better offensive groove and is shooting 40% from deep while taking nearly 7 threes a game. He also brings an important sturdy defensive presence for a Denver team that's generally weak on defense.
Perhaps Hardaway's greatest strength is his consistency. He's remarkably durable and his availability pays dividends for his teams. Last season, he appeared in 77 games for the Pistons and he's missed just one game for the Nuggets this season. In a league increasingly ravaged by injuries, Hardaway's durability into his 30s is remarkable.
The Pistons may be wishing they had kept Hardaway
THJ's consistent presence and outside shooting would be a great stabilizing force for the Pistons now without Cade Cunningham. His ability to warp defenses with off-ball movement could make life easier for any teammates, whether it's Cade leading the offense or backup options during Cade's injury.
That's not to say the Pistons necessarily regret their offseason decisions. They have obviously found great success this season, and chose to replace Hardaway and fellow wing Malik Beasley with the duo of Duncan Robinson and Caris LeVert. Robinson has been a fantastic shooter for the Pistons in his own right, although LeVert has been much less consistent than someone like Hardaway.
However, the Pistons are quickly realizing any additional shooting is extremely valuable for their roster. Considering the shooting limitations of key players like Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson, the Pistons should be looking for multiple shooters on the wings. Having both Robinson and Hardaway on the current team would be an ideal scenario.
Either way, Tim Hardaway Jr has firmly proven that he's still a great veteran in this league. Whatever team gets him this coming summer will be lucky to get a reliable 3-and-D wing.