With each high-scoring game that Tim Hardaway Jr. puts up, his legacy gets closer to being equal with that of his father’s. Just not very much closer. Tim Hardaway Sr. was a five-time All-Star and had multiple seasons averaging over twenty points per game. Junior is currently averaging twelve points per game this season, is happy to get twenty points in a single game, and is not All-Star caliber at the moment. So he has his work cut out for him if he wants to equal or surpass his dad’s NBA achievements.
Oh yeah, and Senior averaged double-digit assists for multiple seasons. I don’t feel like checking if Junior has ever gotten double-digit assists in a game but my hunch, my gut feeling is that he hasn’t.
Scoring 28 after scoring 33 a week before is a good way to start crawling out from underneath your father’s shadow. We still can’t rule out All-Star games for Junior, but the first step to getting there is being a consistent scoring threat. It’s fair to say that the inferior Hardaway has at least become that.