Everyone knows about Nikola Jokic's quest for a fourth MVP award, but Tim Hardaway Jr. is on a quest for postseason hardware of his own. THJ's been the Nuggets' bench leader, and he will be up for the NBA's 6th Man of the Year award at the end of the season.
The Nuggets have had a staggering number of injuries this season, but one constant that's remained is Hardaway, who's played 54 of the team's 55 games, making just five starts, by design. Head coach David Adelman has preferred to keep THJ as the anchor of the bench, choosing to insert younger wings such as Peyton Watson and Julian Strawther into the starting lineup instead.
And it's paid off. Hardaway is having a solid season. He's averaging 14.1 points per game, just above his career average of 13.7.
But his offensive rating, a metric for how many points a team will score per 100 possessions while you're on the court, sees THJ in 13th place in the league with a rating of 120.4. However, due to the offensive juggernaut that is the Nuggets offense, he's just in 7th place on his own team.
THJ's hit some big threes for the Nuggets in tight games, too. His veteran leadership will be a huge factor in the Nuggets' postseason run.
Hardaway's played well despite a rotating cast
The Nuggets' constant injury issues have made it difficult to find consistency with the same rotation this season. Hardaway, as the anchor off the bench, has had to adapt to his teammates moving into the starting lineup and back out. Denver's lost over 100 games to injury already.
Hardaway has not won the 6th Man of the Year award before, but he's been nominated for the award several times. 2014, 2017, 2021, and 2024 saw him receive votes, but his highest finish was only 5th place.
And for the first time in a long time, the Nuggets are closer to full health than not. Hardaway's still going to remain the anchor of the bench, but there will be questions about Denver's rotation soon. Watson will be ready to return from a hamstring injury by early March, and Aaron Gordon will be slowly worked back into action in March as well.
Gordon is expected to move back into the starting lineup, leaving Coach Adelman with quite the conundrum. Most likely, he plays a little less Gordon, spelled by Watson, and THJ, the biggest constant off the bench this year, remains steady around 25 minutes.