DALLAS — Tim Hardaway Jr. exited with an apparent injury against his former team on Friday night. With the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks going head-to-head, Hardaway suffered the injury scare in the middle of the second quarter. He was ultimately helped off the floor and exited to the locker room after what appeared to be an ankle concern.
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The Pistons later announced that Hardaway suffered a right ankle sprain and will not return to the Pistons-Mavericks game. It goes without saying, but the Mavs are hopeful that Hardaway will not be forced to miss a significant amount of time.
Tim Hardaway Jr.'s impact on Pistons
The Pistons acquired Hardaway from the Mavs in an offseason trade. Following the trade, questions surfaced about Hardaway's potential role with the Pistons. Would he start? Were the Pistons going to consider moving him again?
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Detroit ultimately decided to not only keep Hardaway, but the Pistons have started him in each game that he has appeared in so far in the 2024-25 campaign. Overall, the 33-year-old entered Friday night's game averaging 10.4 points while shooting 40 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc. Additionally, Hardaway was recording per game averages of 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per outing.
The Pistons are hoping to make a postseason run. Hardaway's scoring prowess has been crucial throughout the campaign. Detroit should be able to hold onto the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference and avoid the play-in tournament, but Hardaway's potential absence in future games will negatively impact the team. After all, he has started 67 contests this year.
For now, the only available update is that Tim Hardaway Jr. has a right ankle sprain and won't return on Friday night. There has been no timeline made available.
We will continue to monitor and provide injury updates on the Pistons guard.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University, and he has bylines at NBA Analysis Network and RotoWire.