Jaden Hardy spent last season buried on the Lakers bench, playing just 15.8 minutes a night across 57 games while coaches sorted out a crowded backcourt. Through three preseason games, including a 13-point night in the loss at Golden State, he's flashed the scoring touch the Lakers are counting on this fall.
A Crowded Backcourt
Jaden Hardy's 2025-26 was a season of short stints: 57 games, 15.8 minutes a night, 9.2 points, 1.5 boards, one assist, plus a turnover a game that ate into whatever he built. His usage rate, 23.9 percent, says he shot often in those bursts; his splits on both ends, a 112.0 offensive rating against a 116.4 defensive one, add up to a minus-4.4 net mark that argues the Lakers were worse with him on the floor. Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht all chase the same backcourt minutes this fall, and none of them carries Hardy's blend of contract certainty and bursts of hot shooting.
The Shooting Case
The number that matters most is 39.7 — Hardy's mark from deep last season on 4.6 attempts a night, backed by a 73.3 percent free-throw rate and a 56.6 true-shooting figure. He's already shown it under preseason lights: in the 98-124 loss at Golden State on Oct. 6, Hardy scored 13 points, and only Sandro Mamukelashvili's 15 kept pace among Lakers who reached double figures that night. Add a 42.4 percent clip from the field overall, and the shooting profile reads like a player who can change a game's math in a handful of minutes.
A Role to Earn
Hardy signed for $6.0 million this season, with a $6.0 million team option for 2027-28 — not a make-or-break number on a Lakers payroll already at $201.3 million, above the $200.4 million tax threshold. He isn't on the injury report, which only raises the stakes: with the roster this deep and still shuffling — Cole Swider was the latest to leave on Oct. 15 — Redick has no excuse to bury a guard who can get hot in a hurry, and no open roster spot to carry one who doesn't help on both ends of the floor.
How many minutes did Jaden Hardy play for the Lakers last season?
Hardy averaged 15.8 minutes a night across 57 games last season, with 9.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and one assist per game.
What is Jaden Hardy's contract with the Lakers?
Hardy is set to make $6.0 million in 2026-27, with a $6.0 million team option for 2027-28.
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