Tim Hardaway Jr. has been through three team presidents, two coaches and more teammates than he’d care to count in his two seasons after becoming the Knicks’ 2013 first-round draft pick.
“You get drafted and basically 80 percent of the team is gone,’’ Hardaway said. “Not many guys are left. So it’s been tough.’’
Following his sparkling rookie year after being selected 24th overall by former team president Glen Grunwald, Hardaway struggled to fit into Derek Fisher’s new program, his 3-point shot abandoning him.
But the shooting guard out of Michigan ended with a flourish, soaring in his final three games despite a bad wrist that had forced him to miss nine straight from mid-March to early April.
Hardaway’s big finish gave Knicks president Phil Jackson hope he’s a building block for the future — something he indicated in Tuesday’s State-of-Zen Address.
“Tim Hardaway has been both good and average at certain times, but he has a bright future,’’ Jackson said. “He’s a solidifying guard who can move to small forward or guard.’’
Hardaway was first-team All-Rookie last season and had the prestige of being named to the US Select team in Las Vegas last July.
The Knicks coaching staff felt Hardaway took the club’s catastrophic 2014-15 record too personally and got too down on himself. Indeed, he was miserable after many losses.
In March, Fisher, disappointed in Hardaway’s defensive aptitude and failure to drive the ball, made an ominous remark about Hardaway when asked about the future.
“Well, he is under contract for next year,’’ Fisher said.
It was hardly a ringing endorsement. Hardaway was one of former coach Mike Woodson’s favorite players, and the comment gave the appearance that Fisher didn’t share the same fondness.
But as the season closed, Hardaway’s mojo was back and he showed his mettle playing hurt with the wrist, producing big in the final three games. He singlehandedly won the April 11 game in Orlando, scoring seven points in the final 1:30, then banged in 23 points in the victory in Atlanta before ringing up another 25 in last week’s season finale against Detroit. That included a four-point play that had his father, Pistons assistant Tim Hardaway, proudly shaking his head on the bench.
It left a sweet final taste in everyone’s mouth as Hardaway’s scoring average wound up at 11.5 points despite 38.9 percent shooting.
“I think he learned a lot about himself and what is possible when he was out with the injury,’’ Fisher said. “I think he has been a different player since in terms of attacking the basket and talking on defense. Oftentimes guys don’t miss things until it is taken away from them. I think enjoying to play came back to him and he was a different player.’’
Hardaway still has trade value — perhaps he can net a late first-rounder or early second-rounder. But why, other than saving a smidgen of cap space? He stands to make $1.3 million next season, and the Knicks can exercise the rookie option on his fourth year in October at just $2.2 million for 2016-17.
Some scouts see him now as a legitimate top scorer on the second unit for a good team instead of a budding All-Star, but at least it’s a known quantity.
The Knicks already have 10 roster spots to fill as Hardaway is one of just five players with contracts for next season, including surprise rookie guard Langston Galloway. The undrafted combo guard is assuredly returning on a $200,000 guarantee. Jackson praised Galloway Tuesday as the season’s “bright spot’’ who showed his “mettle.’’
“I feel confident in myself, I feel confident in this team,’’ Hardaway said. “I’m ready to get started again.’’ It looks like Jackson and Fisher are looking forward to it, too.