By: TJ Hartnett

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

On a night early in February, a player for the Atlanta Hawks scored a career high 33 points in a game against the Houston Rockets.

That’s impressive enough as it is, but consider this as well: 23 of those points came in the fourth quarter, and helped Atlanta erase a 20 point deficit to secure a come from behind win. Now that’s the kind of game that makes people take notice. Tim Hardaway Jr. turned some heads earlier this month.

It was a kind of breakout game, though in reality it wasn’t so surprising to anyone who has been paying attention to the Hawks this season. Hardaway has been so crucial for Atlanta throughout this campaign.

He has managed to be a consistent force on a team that has struggled to stay consistent as a unit. He did have his struggles in December, but if slumps truly are contagious then he merely caught what every other player on the team had that month. Excusing that outlier, Hardaway has improved across the board.

The Hawks have kept Hardaway’s usage static for the most part the entire season and his efficiency has gone up along with his shooting numbers. He currently has the best offensive rating on the team for anyone who receives regular playing time. He is currently second on the team in overall net rating.

The real testament to his usefulness, however, comes from looking at the team stats with and without him. When Hardaway is in the game, the Hawks have outscored their opponents by 143 points; when he’s off the court, Atlanta has been outscored by 171 points.

It’s a compelling story of a player finally leveling out. Hardaway’s tenure with Atlanta has been an up and down one, to say the least. In fact, no one on the roster has had the kind of career turbulence that Hardaway has experienced as a Hawk

Atlanta famously (infamously?) acquired Hardaway in a three-team trade that cost them their first round pick at the 2015 NBA Draft. The deal brought jeers from across the internet and outrage from the Hawks fanbase. That only escalated when Hardaway opened the 2016 season on the inactive list and eventually found himself playing in the D-League.

He deserves a lot of credit for shutting out the noise and putting his head down and going to work on his game. The talent has always been there for Hardaway but he needed to learn that there was much more to the game than accumulating numbers.

Hardaway earned a spot in the rotation during the second half of 2016 although a groin injury in the final regular season game pretty much prevented him from having any impact in the playoffs. This season got off to a rocky start when he opened the preseason with a 3 for 30 shooting stretch. However, he battled through that and has seen his role continue to grow as the season progressed.

The trade can still be debated especially when you factor in that Hardaway will hit restricted free agency this summer while a draft pick would be under team control for a couple more seasons. Still, credit Hardaway for making the situation into where it is a debate worth having.

His breakout this season may be comparable to winning the lottery for Hardaway this summer. The NBA has placed a premium on wing players and Hardaway will likely be looking at a significant raise.

Due to his restricted status, the Hawks will have the ability to match any offer that Hardaway receives from another team. Whether it is with Atlanta or another team, Hardaway has earned it.