There have been few constants this season for the Denver Nuggets and Tim Hardaway Jr. and his confidence has been one of them. 

The scrappy, high-octane guard has been an ever-present boost off the bench for the Nuggets this season, remaining stalwart when times were tough and the lineup was depleted. even as the Nuggets have dragged coming down the final stretch of the season, Hardaway Jr. has been a reliable spark of scoring, effort and defense. 

The Nuggets' down-to-the-wire 121-115 win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday was yet another example of the lift that Hardaway Jr. provides. He was second on the team in scoring with 23 points, just edging out Nikola Jokic for that second-place spot, while shooting 8-16 from the field and 7-10 from three point range in 28 minutes.

Hardaway Jr. has been everything that the Nuggets need from a sixth man. He can lead a second wave of scoring when Jokic and Jamal Murray sub out, or he can pair just as well with the two Denver titans on the court. 

His greatest quality has remained his confidence and the assurance of his skill that he carries with him. That confidence is the key to his reliability and it's how he transforms himself into such an offensive weapon. 

"It's all things great and crazy at the same time. His confidence level, it never wavers. Which is a talent I think we wish we all had in certain parts of life," Nuggets head coach David Adelman said of Hardaway Jr. (via Nuggets). "He firmly believes after he misses, the next five are gonna go in."

It takes confidence to even attempt 10 threes in a game and even more confidence to shoot 70% beyond the arc in the process. His belief in himself is what allows the rest of the team to believe in themselves as well. 

Other than Hardaway Jr. himself, there may be no bigger believer in the guard than Adelman. The Nuggets head coach described Hardaway Jr. as a "green light player," meaning he'll never bat an eye when Hardaway Jr. attempts a shot nor scold him if his looks aren't the greatest, because eventually that effort is going to put up points. 

The way that Hardaway Jr. makes himself an asset extends far beyond putting balls through the hoop, though. He fights hard on defense. He provides direction on the floor when times are tough and through his sheer power of will, he can elevate the team around him.

It's these traits combined that make Hardaway Jr. such an asset to the Nuggets and the belief the team extends to him in exchange is the kind of transaction that makes the Nuggets as a whole so effective, no matter the adversity they've faced.