When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz via sign-and-trade, they projected to have a solid big-man tandem with Deandre Ayton as the backup. However, L.A. then went on to trade Ayton to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks.
In a move that was made to replenish draft assets, Hardy bring an interesting skillset to the team. And he recently shared what fans can expect from him this season as a microwave scorer.
“Lakers fans can expect good energy from me,” Hardy said on the Lakers YouTube channel. “Three-level scorer, somebody who’s coming in, lifting up their teammates, great energy and super excited to play in front of the fans. See you soon.”
Since arriving in the NBA in 2022, Hardy quickly earned a reputation as a score-first guard, which can be tricky for head coaches to find a consistent role for, especially on the Lakers. He has been a quality bench piece so far in his career though and should help improve L.A.’s overall depth.
When the Dallas Mavericks traded the 24-year-old to the Washington Wizards, he put up impressive numbers in 23 games to finish out the 2025-26 season. He put up 12.6 points per game on 44.3% shooting from the field and 42% from 3-point range. If those number can translate to Los Angeles, it would be a nice addition to the roster.
Bench production has been a weakness for L.A., so having players like Hardy and Collin Sexton who can get themselves buckets as reserves takes pressure off the starters. Last season featured a heavy dosage of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, so hopefully this new-look Lakers team can provide more support to take some of the workload off the plate of their backcourt duo.
Jaden Hardy chose No. 7 in part due to Luka Doncic
Perhaps another underlying reason Hardy was brought to the Lakers was his previous relationship with star Luka Doncic given they were teammates on the Mavericks. As a rookie, Hardy spent time with Doncic and tried to learn the ropes of how to be a guard in the NBA.
Now that the former second-round pick has some years under his belt, he gets to reunite with his former teammate in Los Angeles. When asked about why he decided to go with jersey No. 7, Hardy admitted that it was due in part to his relationship with Doncic, who of course has worn No. 77 throughout his career.
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