Scouting 4-star F Ashton Hardaway, son of Penny Hardaway

Ashton Hardaway is the No. 94 player in the 2023 On3 150. The 6-foot-8 forward is the No. 119 player in the 2023 On3 Consensus.

Hardaway, the son of former NBA All-Star and current Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway, averaged 10.0 points per game for 35-1 Duncanville (TX) High.

The four-star forward transferred to Chatsworth (CA) Sierra Canyon for his senior season. He claims offers from Kansas, San Diego State, Boston College, SMU, Oklahoma State, Memphis, Texas Tech, San Diego, and others. He has taken two senior year official visits to Memphis and San Diego.

Hardaway’s game

Ashton Hardaway is a pure shooter. A dead-eye-type when his feet are set. He has good balance and a consistent release with great rotation.

At 6-foot-8, Hardaway knocked down 1.6 threes per game during Nike EYBL Circuit games. In 17 Circuit games, 77.3 percent of his shots were jumpers, and 72.0 percent of those shots were from three, where he had a 49.4 percent effective shooting percentage.

For much of the time with the Houston Hoops team this summer, he was a floor spacer. Hardaway played a stretch-four-type role and pulled the player guarding him toward the three-point line, where he would provide the threat of a kick-out so his man could not help.

Two things are different early in the high school season. First, Hardaway’s body is notably slimmer. Conditioning is something Hardaway will have to stay on top of as he continues to progress. He has started the high school season much more mobile on both ends of the floor. Secondly, Hardway is given the freedom to be a go-to scorer.

Hardaway is a big-time shooter, so he will continue to shoot the three; however, he plays a lot out of the mid-post this season. Hardaway uses his 6-foot-8 frame and long arms to be able to extend high on shots from ten to eighteen feet. He has good footwork with feel, and he has an assortment of counters in that range.

He will have to tighten the dribble up; his handle is a bit upright and can get loose after two or three bounces. Hardaway will also get beat defending on an island. But his length and instincts allow him to be a good team defender when engaged. Hardaway is also a good area rebounder. But the real intrigue with him is as a pure scorer.