Tim Hardaway Jr. had some nice moments for the Detroit Pistons last sesaon. If nothing else, he could be relied upon to take the court every night, starting 77 games, the second-most on the team behind Jalen Duren. He wasn't a world-beater by any means, averaging 11 points per game, but he shot 36.8% from 3-point range and was on the court most nights. That counts for something!
Now, just a few weeks into his Nuggets tenure, THJ has been stellar. His volume has stayed the same (exactly the same, actually, he's averaging 11.0 points once again) but his shooting percentages have skyrocketed and he's been more productive as a wing scorer than Denver's big offseason addition, Cam Johnson.
Playing with Nikola Jokic is basically a cheat code to raising a player's shooting percentages, because playing next to him suddenly opens up more wide-open shots than ever before.
So, it's not like Hardaway has turned into a different player with Denver... But right now, with the Pistons struggling from outside, the same version of THJ from last year would still be a pretty big help!
Should the Pistons have brought back Tim Hardaway Jr?
Yep. Because right now, the Pistons are ranked No. 27 in made 3-pointers per game and No. 24 in bench scoring. If nothing else, Hardaway brings 3-point volume and an occasional scoring barrage. Overall, the team is in the middle of the pack for most offensive categories, but might be held back from being great by a lack of outside shooting.
Javonte Green, who the Pistons added in the offseason, isn't bringing quite the volume or 3-point accuracy necessary to be the THJ replacement (although I hope that changes, I have always liked Green's game).
It's not like Denver gave Hardaway some godfather offer, either — they signed him on a veteran's minimum and he's playing fewer minutes than he did in Detroit last season. Sure, the Nuggets are a pretty appealing place to play right now, but the Pistons probably could have still offered him a bigger role on a team that's also competing for a title this season.
The Malik Beasley situation also complicated all free agency matters this offseason. I don't want to downplay how much of a wrench that threw into all plans, and how it made other moves nearly impossible while everyone waited to hear the results of that. But right now, it looks like the Pistons let go of a player who would really help the two small deficiencies this team has shown in the first few weeks of the year — 3-point shooting and bench scoring.