Miami Heat shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. shared his reaction to the terrible start to his season with his new team.
Last year, Hardaway was third in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting for the Denver Nuggets when he averaged 13.5 points off the bench in 26.6 minutes per game.
When the Heat signed Hardaway this summer, the hope was that he could bring the same scoring punch to Miami’s bench. But so far, that has not been the case, as Hardaway is averaging just 4.6 points for the Heat, with coach Erik Spoelstra cutting his minutes down to 14.7 per game.
Tim Hardaway Jr. Reacts to Poor Season Start
Speaking to Heat reporter Anthony Chiang, Hardaway said that he’s not making any excuses for his poor start to the season, and he still believes that he can turn things around.
“We get paid a lot of money to do this. So, to me, there’s no excuse. — it’s the first 10 games. I’m not going to panic. Stay positive. Cheer my guys on. When my number is called, be ready to deliver,” Hardaway said.
“We get paid a lot of money to do this. So, to me, there’s no excuse. — it’s the first 10 games. I’m not going to panic. Stay positive. Cheer my guys on. When my number is called, be ready
Heat Need Tim Hardaway Jr. To Pick It Up
While Hardaway might not be worried, the Heat should be, given that Hardaway is now 34 years old and could be showing signs of a massive decline.
It’s possible that his last season for Denver was the last great season of his NBA career and that Hardaway is now on the downside of his career in Miami.
That doesn’t mean that he’ll be at risk of being cut, as the team needs to keep him around for now and hope that he can turn things around.
But there is no doubt that Hardaway has been wildly disappointing for Miami so far this season, and the team really needs him to start playing better, as he’s someone who was to be counted on to provide important bench scoring for Miami this season as they look to make a run for the NBA Championship in their first year since picking up Giannis Antetokounmpo in a blockbuster trade with the Milwaukee Bucks over the offseason.
Tim Hardaway Jr. Reacts After Terrible Start to Season for Heat