In all of the chaos and confusion of the Denver Nuggets offseason, the addition of Tim Hardaway Jr. to the rotation went almost entirely under the radar.
Cam Johnson was acquired for Michael Porter Jr. in the most pivotal trade of the entire NBA offseason, outside of the Kevin Durant acquisition by the Houston Rockets. The Nuggets also traded for Jonas Valanciunas in a saga that went on for a significant chunk of July as to whether he would stay in the NBA or not. Bruce Brown returned to Denver and is expected to reprise what ended up being a championship caliber sixth man role.
And yet, the deal that caught me completely off-guard from a logic perspective was the Hardaway signing.
The idea that the Nuggets were interested in Hardaway wasn’t the surprising part. He’s a good player, a smart shooter who relocates around the perimeter and knows how to find his spots to make an impact on the game. He can even go off the dribble a bit when the defense is caught in rotation.
No, the surprising part was that the Nuggets got him on just a minimum contract.
There were 67 players last year that played more than the 2,153 total minutes THJ played for the Detroit Pistons last yer. He started all 77 games he played and was one of the only outside shooters and spacers in a lineup that featured Cade Cunningham and very little else around him scoring wise. Hardaway was essential for the Pistons in getting through the year, a professional that tied the room together for a bunch of young, inexperienced but athletic players.
Of the 67 players who played more minutes, only two players are making less money in the 2025-26 season than Hardaway’s minimum contract he signed in Denver. They are Toumani Camara, a former 52nd overall pick in 2023, and Malik Beasley, Hardaway’s Detroit teammate who’s facing legal trouble.
The average starting salary in the NBA is well above $15 million at this point, and Hardaway played the 68th most minutes in the NBA last year while starting every game for a playoff team. There are reasons why Hardaway didn’t get a big contract with the Pistons, namely that he’s 33 and the Pistons are still building for their future. Still, Detroit’s loss is Denver’s gain in this case. He’s a really good player with a helpful skill set.
Hardaway’s per game statistics don’t jump off the page, but his role as an off-ball scoring threat is still an important one for any offense attempting to divert pressure away from their star ball handlers. With 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, Hardaway is a play finisher at the NBA level more than a playmaker at this stage of his career. Cunningham set the table well for him, and he converted 168 threes while shooting 36.8% from distance.
Breaking down those attempts even more, Hardaway was at his best when the Pistons were able to get him an open shot. According to NBA.com, when Hardaway attempted a three-pointer with at least four feet of space, he shot 141-of-354, or 39.8% from three. When those shots were tightly contested (less than four feet of space) Hardaway shot just 27-of-103, or 26.2%.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but it should be noted that Hardaway was often the sole perimeter floor spacer out there for Detroit. For example, Hardaway shot just 33.6% from three when he shared the floor with all three of Tobias Harris, Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren. When he played next to Malik Beasley, Tobias Harris, and Isaiah Stewart, Hardaway shot 40.7% from three in a small sample size.
In lineups when the Nuggets can play multiple shooters, it will be difficult for the opposition to key into Hardaway entirely, especially lineups that feature Nikola Jokic’s gravity all over the floor. Hardaway will be a valuable option against teams that like to face-guard Jokic when he’s in the paint and shade their entire defense toward him, because it will be difficult for the weak side defender to leave Hardaway wide open in the opposite corner or wing every single time.
How often Hardaway plays remains a mystery though.
Denver’s starting lineup appears to be set with Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Cam Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Nikola Jokic set to take the bulk of the minutes. When the Nuggets are fully healthy, each of those players will be expected to play about 30 minutes a night or more.
Off the bench, the only player with a truly solidified rotation spot appears to be Jonas Valanciunas. He won’t play the most amount of minutes, but his role (theoretically) should be the most consistent every night, playing the minutes that Jokic doesn’t play at center.
Bruce Brown was of course brought in to play, and he will most likely get the first crack at the sixth man spot in the rotation. Still, there’s a chance that Hardaway’s shooting and spacing play a more significant role in Denver’s plans this season. Creating lineups that make it more difficult to double Jokic in the paint seem like a great idea, and Brown is far more likely to be left wide open on the perimeter than Hardaway.
Of course, the young guys are expected to play roles too. Peyton Watson’s job is likely safe as a defensively versatile backup forward. Julian Strawther’s job is a bit more in jeopardy as he and Hardaway are expected to play similar roles. They will likely cut into each other’s minutes as a result, unless there’s an injury in the rotation or the two find ways to be comfortable playing together. Beyond Watson and Strawther, rookie DaRon Holmes II will get some run, as should sixth year forward/big Zeke Nnaji and third year guard Jalen Pickett.
As the Nuggets figure out what’s best for their team though, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Hardaway’s role grows as the season progresses. He’s not a good defender and the ability to impact the game beyond spacing and shooting is a bit suspect; however, shooting is the most important skill in the NBA, and the Nuggets didn’t have enough of it last year. Incorporating an extra shooter in the lineup relieves some pressure for other playmakers across the board, and that’s what Hardaway was brought in to do.
We will see where Hardaway’s role ends up, but I predict it will be more substantial than most Nuggets fans expect.
