Tim Hardaway Jr. - Like Father, Like Son

I keep telling my friends at work that Tim Hardaway Jr. is developing rather nicely, and that he'll be NBA material, and they disagree and say he won't be as good as Manny Harris was, let alone Tim Hardaway Sr.  At the start of the season (and very much so before the season) it was apparent that we didn't have a proven leader to step up as a scorer, and the onus was initially on Darius Morris to spark the offense, but Hardaway Jr. really has stepped it up as well and has been the saving grace in many of the games this year.

Thanks for putting this comparison together.  Nice to know (feel?) that I'm not that illogical in my evaluation of Hardaway Jr.

Great job. I enjoyed reading this breakdown. I hadn't done any research about Sr.'s college numbers and it seems like Jr. could have a great career, even in comparison to his father, here if he continues to develop.

I'm not sure how he projects into the NBA, but at this point in his career I'm not particularly worried about it either. I'm excited to see how this young team performs in big games the next few weeks.

It's fun to watch our program right now. I can't wait for Saturday...

1.  Jr is a much more-finished product that Sr was, because he had Sr mentoring him and got to be around NBA players as a child.  Also, he has had access to training techniques and diet from an early age that most players didn't have back in the pre-internet era.

2.  From the minutes played, I would bet that Sr had the "luxury" of sitting on the bench and learning a lot as a freshman and being a role player instead of having to not only play but star if his team was going to win games.

3.  Jr is starting to look like he could end up being a better player than his dad, but even if that doesn't happen, he is already a huge asset for Michigan. 

He is Tim Hardaway's son.

He is taller than his father.

Tim Hardaway is overachieving and our team is tagging along. I don't think we can assume two butterflies (Tim & Darius) will maintain this sudden metamorphosis and turn our program into a perennial tournament team.

I'd love to make the tourney. No way Tim is hitting 50 percent on threes during the next 3 games. yes, 3 games. then its schoolbooks and Ricks. starting now.

One nit-pick the whole Sr. Jr. THJ, THS, Junior Year stuff is somewhat confusing to read.

I agree with Tater though, THJ's biggest asset in already being more polished has to be the fact that his dad was Tim Hardaway. I'm real excited to watch him for the next (hopefully 3!!!) years before a nice NBA career

There's some apples-to-ornages when comparing the two since they play different positions (mostly due to the height difference).

The things I dream about Jr. being able to replicate:

1. That FG%.  Sr. was so good at breaking people down and finishing with that finger roll.

2. The assists.  Court general.  Even that 1st year when he didn't get the minutes, he still had almost 2 per game.

3. He stayed for 4 years.  Please, please do the same Jr!

4. The killer-crossover.  This is part of #1.  It's got to be somewhere in the genetics, doesn't it?

He needs to develop his handles.  If he does that and improves the rest of his game on a normal learning curve, we might not get to see him as a senior.

To the OP...   Hardaway Sr, from what I understand, was a pioneer of sorts and had a very unique crossover dribble move that was impossible to stop, that the NBA never saw before. This mainly got him into the league, along with his elite athletic skills, which every NBA player possesses.  Now, Jr appears to have those same elite athletic skills, and it is becoming apparent he is a very deft shooter.  It does not appear he has that same patented crossover move, and having said that, it is far-fetched RIGHT NOW to say he is gonna be better than his father, who was great. However, do I think Jr will be great?  Yes. Do I think he'll make the NBA and thrive? Yes. 

Let's not get carried way. Tim Hardaway's crossover was point-blank legendary. Pro sports, but especially basketball and to a lesser extent football (in some positions such as DE or RB) is about having one thing you do unbelievably incredibly well. Tim's a great shooter and I think he's got a great chance of being a solid NBA player but his dad's crossover was kind of like Kareem's sky-hook.

What's interesting to me so far is that I don't think TH Jr. is getting too caught up in the questions about his dad.  Maybe it's just me, but in an interview with him after the Iowa win when he scored 30, Jim Jackson asked him "What's been the turning point for you, has it been discussions with your father, has it been the coaching staff, a combination of the two?" And Jr. responds "Oh it hasn't been my father, it's been 100% the coaching staff and working with them everyday, letting the game come to me"...Maybe it was just him trying to give the coaching staff the credit they deserve, but the way he responded made me think that he really wants to have his own path and stand on his own two feet here.  

Also, I know everyone knows this but as a basketball player, he doesn't really bear much resemblance to his dad at all.

I for one have been amazed by Jr's development.  Granted, he'll never have his Dad's cross-over dribble.  And there is no way he'll maintain his current 3 point fg percentage.  Nevertheless, he's established himself as a great scorer, and IMO UM Hoops' future is tied to him more than anybody else (including D. Morris).  

this thread inspired me to watch highlights of hardaway's crossovers