Tim Hardaway Jr. Should Not Worry About Playing Time With New York Knicks

By Matt Constas on November 3, 2014

One of the few bright spots of the 2013-14 New York Knicks was the play of then rookie guard Tim Hardaway Jr. The son of a former NBA player and current coach was not expected to perform at a high level early in his career, but after a solid first year he was named first team All-Rookie and opened many eyes to what he could become.

The youngster from Michigan led the Knicks’ summer league team in scoring and was second on the team in the same category throughout the preseason while playing 21 minutes per game. Combining this with the potential he showed last season, it is surprising to see that he has only played a grand total of 33 minutes in the team’s first three games of the regular season. Why would Derek Fisher, a huge fan of the kid’s upside, do such a thing?

It has to be noted that this is only three games into a season that will be based on the institution of the triangle offense and an improving defense, so minutes won’t be allocated based on a player’s resume or potential, but rather on who can help the team win the game that they are playing. For example, Hardaway most likely only saw the floor for five minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers because he is not a very good defensive player (there’s no need to talk about how potent the Cavs’ offense can be) and he struggles in small-ball lineups that Cleveland features often due to a lack of frontcourt depth. In Fisher’s mind, whatever creates wins is what he will go with, and that doesn’t sound like a bad plan either.

It probably didn’t help that he shot 2-for-10 in the regular season opener against the Chicago Bulls, and since not many defenses in the league stack up to the stature of the Bulls, I feel confident that once he starts to get into the groove of the season, Hardaway won’t finish too many games with those type of numbers. On top of that, Fisher acknowledged that even though he didn’t see the floor much, Hardaway still found a way to make a difference in the win over the Cavs. Fisher told the New York Post:

“Tim Hardaway Jr. He played four minutes, and the level of assistance and commitment to his teammates and how involved he was in the game, despite the fact that he wasn’t in, says a lot about him and who we are attempting to become. It was a great team win tonight.”

These are reasons why fans should not be worried about his playing time, and it seems as though he isn’t either. This quote attests to his commitment to learning and embracing a role, and as the learning and winning continue his level of production should hopefully grow with it.

Hardaway, along with the Knicks themselves, are a work in progress, which gives them a chance to grow together. While this may be the boring part of a rebuilding process, we know Hardaway, who doesn’t become a restricted free agent until the summer of 2017, will be a part of it for at least the next couple of years.