The Dallas Mavericks are a team that is swinging for the fences, with Mark Cuban and company wanting to get as much talent as possible around superstar Luka Doncic in order to win sooner rather than later.
That said, the Mavericks aren’t prioritizing young talent at the moment, with their focus being on bringing in stars like Kyrie Irving and important pieces to the puzzle with role players like Grant Williams.
With the focus on contending for a title right away, young players will not get the kind of attention in Dallas that they will elsewhere, which isn’t great news for guard Jaden Hardy, who just went down in the NBA Summer League.
According to Mavericks PR, Hardy has suffered a shoulder injury, which will keep him out of the rest of Summer League.
Jaden Hardy (left shoulder contusion) will miss the rest of this year’s Summer League.
— Mavs PR (@MavsPR) July 13, 2023
Hardy was the 37th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and ended up playing 48 games for the Mavericks in limited minutes.
The 21-year-old averaged 8.8 points per game last season while shooting 40.4% from beyond the three-point line.
During Summer League, Hardy had some impressive scoring performances, even though he wasn’t all that efficient.
Hardy could struggle to get minutes during the 2023-24 NBA season, with the Mavericks bringing back sharpshooter Seth Curry and signing Dante Exum.
Summer League was his chance to shine and make a case for some minutes, but now he’ll have to hope to make an impression during training camp and throughout the preseason to get in the good graces of head coach Jason Kidd and his coaching staff in Dallas.
NEXT: Video Shows Luka Doncic Putting In Work During The Offseason