Top 10 players setting themselves up to be overpaid
By Robert Judin
7. Tim Hardaway Jr
Carmelo Anthony’s old jump shot buddy was J.R. Smith, but when the New York Knicks traded Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tim Hardaway Jr claimed that spot.
To be fair, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft did get his fair share of shots even with Smith and Anthony hoisting up jumpers. Hardaway averaged just more than 10 points per game as a rookie and shot 36 percent from behind the three-point line.
In year two, he started 30 of the 70 games he played in and averaged 11. 5 points per game while shooting 34 percent from deep.
But, similar to Smith, Hardaway was shipped out by the Knicks to another Eastern Conference team. New York traded him to the Atlanta Hawks to move back into the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft to select Jerian Grant from Notre Dame.
In the free-flowing offense that Mike Budenholzer runs — just like the San Antonio Spurs — Hardaway should progress as an all-around threat on offense. He should also benefit from the defensive culture already in place. He never had either of those things while with the Knicks.
The potential for Hardaway to evolve into a premier player is there. The subtraction of DeMarre Carroll from Atlanta will allow Hardaway to find a role in the offense as a spot-up shooter, and he’ll even find himself in situations to create his own shot here and there. But having Jeff Teague creating most of his shots for him will be the biggest benefit for Hardaway.
Some team might invest heavily in him just because he has the potential to be a star shooting guard.
Next: 6. Nicolas Batum