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Strengths
Off-the-bounce scoring
- Despite the numbers, his shot form and touch look really good
- Creates a ton of space with step back and variety of dribble moves
Pick-and-roll scoring
- Can pull-up for three when defense goes under screen
- Gets into mid-range package if defense goes over screens
- Able to take bigs off the dribble
- Crafty snaking screens and changing pace
- Sneaky explosiveness when he gets going downhill
Off-ball potential
- Great shooting range off-the-catch
- Shot 40% on catch-and-shoot threes
- Has the ability to attack closeouts
- Potential to be a combo scorer next to a lead guard
Question Marks and Weaknesses
What to make of the shooting percentages
- Shooting splits are major red flags
- Poor touch at the rim (50%)
- Doesn’t take contact well or get to the line (2.8 FTA/game despite 28.6 percent usage)
- 88.2 free throw percent and aesthetically good jumper could be indicators or positive regression
Playmaking Questions
- Shows flashes of finding bigs on dives in pick-and-roll or corner shooters but nothing too advanced
- Poor spacing and bad shooters could influence passing and assist numbers
Defense
- No real resistance on defense
- Gives up on plays after getting beat
- Loses track of his man for back cuts
- Not going to be an impact defender on-or-off ball early in NBA career
Role and potential fit with Bulls
Hardy is one of the more divisive prospects in the draft. Watching him, he clearly has an immense amount of talent, but questions remain about his ability to exist in an NBA ecosystem.
Cam Thomas, the Nets 27th overall pick in the 2021 draft, has been a popular comparison for Hardy. Both are crafty one-on-one scorers who have shown some passing ability but haven’t yet been able to implement that into their game to the point where they impact winning with those kinds of plays.
With uncertainty about Coby White’s future in Chicago, Hardy could be an option to fill that sparkplug scorer the Bulls desperately needed when things bogged down in the playoffs. A high pedigree high school prospect with untapped on-ball potential, Hardy could be one of the steals of the draft, but the potential downsides make him feel like a risk I’d rather let another team take.
Here’s our video breakdown from our CHGO Youtube channel (which you should subscribe to)