a year ago guard jade hardy was to be a top-five pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. One of the top prospects in his high school class, he was set to take a unique path to the NBA by spending a season in the G League playing for the Ignite.

Known for being a prolific goalscorer, he was a bit disappointing last season before the draft. He should now play in the second half of the first round, or even at the start of the second.

For a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder that may be looking to build momentum on high-potential prospects, Hardy could be a great pick in the upcoming draft.

To be clear, Hardy still scored a ton of points in his G League campaign, but wasn’t necessarily effective. While he led the Ignite in scoring with 17.7 points per game, he did so on 17.1 shooting. Hardy shot just 35.1% from the floor and 26.9% from deep.

At the pace of the take, Hardy showed flashes of being a knockdown shooter. Outside of dribbling, he really struggled to score at an effective level.

At the start of the NBA, Hardy won’t get as many shots as he had in the G League. He will have to prove that he can be a hard-hitting scorer on a much lower volume.

Producing 4.6 and 3.2 assists was impressive for the young guard last season in the G League against many experienced players. At the next level, he will have to be more than just a goalscorer to be a star level player.

He’ll be slightly undersized for a combo guard in the modern NBA, but wasn’t a bad defender in the G League. He certainly wasn’t a stopper, but he wasn’t often a liability at this end of the floor either.

With the Thunder picking at No. 30 or No. 34, Hardy could be a solid option. It will be a question of whether he is still on the board at that time.

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