The Jazz are sixth place in the Western Conference with a record of 16-10. This is the best start to a season for the Jazz in years and Gordon Hayward has played a big part in it
Gordon Hayward missed seven games to start the season, leaving George Hill to play the role of the primary contributor.
He got help from Rodney Hood and Rudy Gobert, but injuries to Hayward and Derrick Favors left the Utah Jazz in a minor rough patch. Hill started the season strong averaging 20 points per game, something the Jazz truly needed to stay competitive.
Then, Gordon Hayward returned.
Through 19 games after returning, Hayward is averaging a career-best 22.3 points per game, and the Jazz went on to win 13 of those games. Granted, Hood, Hill, Joe Johnson and Shelvin Mack provided some substance to those wins. And let’s not forget Rudy Gobert, who’s averaging a double-double for the first time in his career to go along with nearly three blocks per game.
But Hayward displayed a new caliber of play in this stretch which made him stand out.
Favors returned to the court against OKC, and Hill has yet to return from his injury. When both are healthy, they might take away from Hayward’s sudden eruption of scoring. For the time being, however, the NBA universe should bask in his talent.
Every player on a team is typically integral to its success, but when you observe Hayward’s role in the month of December, it’s clear as day just how important he is as an individual player.
He’s got a slash line of .495/.452/.816 to go along with 26.3 points per game and 1.7 steals per game.
He registered three straight 30-point performances from November 29-December 3, bringing the Jazz two wins in those outings.
These kinds of performances can’t be overlooked because they display a level of consistency. We can’t expect Hayward to score 30 points per night, but the scoring potential is still evident nonetheless.
It’s worth noting, too, that Hayward’s injury prior to the season doesn’t seem to have hampered his game, as he’s averaged 35.4 minutes per game since returning to the court, though he sat out one game against the Golden State Warriors.
In this game against the Sacramento Kings, following his one game absence, Hayward kept his scoring to par, while securing seven rebounds to top off his stat line.
He also registered three assists, which hovers right around his average for the season anyway. But this goes to show just how much pressure has been taken off of him as a facilitator. He’s only averaging 1.9 turnovers per game, his lowest since the 2012-13 season.
With the likes of Hill, Mack, and a healthy Dante Exum, ball-handling is the least of Hayward’s concerns.
Per NBA.com/Stats, Hayward is making 75 percent of his three-pointers after another player passes him the ball. He’s also knocking down 40 percent of his shots inside the arc in the same fashion. As a result of the roster changes, Hayward’s PER has bumped up to 23.1, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Having the role of distributor taken off his shoulders, Hayward is free to move around the court for scoring and the Jazz could use that more. The guards around him have complemented his scoring and it’s led to a lethal combination of players in Utah.
Must Read: Should The Miami Heat Trade Hassan Whiteside?
If Gordon Hayward keeps up this level of play, he’s destined to be an MVP, but for now, we might see him become an All-Star pretty soon despite the competition in the Western Conference.