Gordon Hayward, the forgotten star

https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/7/27/8910615/gordon-hayward-the-forgotten-star-boston-celtics



Gordon Hayward, the forgotten star


He was great for the Utah Jazz. He can be really good again.



By Jeff Clark@celticsblog  Jul 27, 2019, 8:00am EDT



So many things went wrong last year for the Celtics that it was hard to keep track. Between the chemistry issues, confusion with roles, and general inconsistencies across the board, it is easy to overlook the fact that Gordon Hayward’s return to form took a lot longer than expected. In fact, after he missed a full season and struggled for much of the next one, Hayward has largely been forgotten by most.

Irving and Horford are gone, Kemba Walker and the rookies are in, and most expect Tatum and Brown to take the next step forward. But what about Hayward? Where does he fit in? According to one Celtics coach, he very much has a role to play (as told to Keith Smith).

Celtics coach on Hayward: “Look, the kids are the key. We need Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown) to be our dogs. They need to be [great]. We know Kemba (Walker) is gonna be great. Our bigs are all skilled in different ways. But, Gordon is going to be the dude who unlocks everything. He’s so skilled in all facets of the game. I saw him before we left to come here and he was kicking everyone’s [butt] in the gym. He wants to prove he’s still that dude.”

To me, that’s the key with Hayward. He doesn’t have to be the main event to utilize his talents. The focus can be on Kemba and “the kids” but Hayward can pick up some of that high-level glue guy role vacated by Al Horford.

A Celtics exec added that “Brad (Stevens) has some cool wrinkles on how Hayward will be used this year on both ends of the floor.” I would expect that to mean Gordon utilizing his playmaking abilities that made him an All-Star in Utah. They are going to need someone like that if they are going to push Tatum and Brown into leading roles.


Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports


I don’t want to re-hash last year any more than I have to, but at a macro level Hayward was a bit like the stock market. Lots of ups-and-downs on a day-to-day basis, but generally (and slowly) trending upward through the year. By the last month he was looking like a very solid and helpful rotation player (despite the team’s varied issues). Even in the playoffs he was very solid in the Pacers series but not so much in the Bucks series.

With a full year removed from his 2nd surgery on that leg he’s reportedly looking good in workouts. With a full off-season focused on getting back in the groove, there’s hope that he’ll look a lot more like Old G next year. Call it wishful thinking, but it beats writing him off and forgetting what he could mean to this team.

I have a humble request for the beat reporters. Please don’t ask him if he feels like “he’s back” after every good game he has. When he’s back it will be evident when he’s consistently performing in the good-to-great range. That may not always show up in the stat lines because there are still plenty of mouths to feed on this roster. But you’ll know.

Good Gordon will be spotted when he’s driving into the lane with aggressiveness, drawing fouls, and kicking out to open shooters. There are many elements to his jack-of-all-trades game that could get unlocked with roles more clearly defined.


Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images


I have no way of confirming this, but my theory is that Hayward might have been one of the most negatively impacted by players on last year’s team improvising or breaking off from the game plan. He knows where he’s supposed to be in Brad’s system (which has various check downs and variable options) but when teammates are doing their own thing, he’s left without a clearly defined role in the play. With Kemba Walker running the show and roles more clearly defined, you might see Hayward enter into more of his comfort zone.

As next season begins, Gordon will be 2 years removed from his injury with a full off-season to prepare for the year. There’s reason to believe that he’ll be a good deal better and more consistent that he was last season. I don’t know if he’ll ever reach the levels that he did in Utah, but this team won’t need him to be the focus that those teams did anyway.

Hayward has an opportunity to make people remember him again and that could mean all the difference in the world to the Celtics.



bob
MY NOTE:  He was never forgotten, he was just disappointing; and the reason why he was disappointing is because he was a star who wasn't playing like one.  Overall, however, I think this article makes good sense.  I think he is going to be used as a shooter by Brad when Smart is on the floor and as a "point forward" when Jaylen is on the floor.  A point that cannot be overstated is that he will now be 2 years from his injury.  Look at Paul George and other players who had similar horrendous, season-ending injuries.  They were never fully back in their first year of playing, it always took them at least 2 years, and Hayward needed a 2nd surgery which set him even further back.  We saw glimpses of OG last season (he LOVES playing Minny!) but he was inconsistent.  Not Jeff Green inconsistent (who is?), but inconsistent.  It will be interesting to see which G we get this year.  My money, based upon the extra year and anecdotal reports coming out of the Auerbach Center, Hayward could be a real game-changer for us this season.  He knows he's looked like shit, he isn't happy about it and he has a chip on his shoulder, he has something to prove.

Wow me, Gordon, wow me.


.

Please Gordy, take a Bow, wow.

GH is hardly overlooked.

Celtics fans are just waiting to see how he plays this year.  My expectations are balanced.  Last year he proved that he can do the same things he did in Utah.   I hope he brings consistency.  He continues to work hard to get ready for the season If he is on his game everything changes for the Celtics.

I have not forgotten him, you know that!!!

RosalieTCeltics wrote:I have not forgotten him, you know that!!!

Rosalie

You continued to be a steadfast supporter of Gordon Hayward.

I think he returns this year with a higher level of comfort.  The physical part is really the only unknown for me.  If GH is really ready, the Celtics become a team to be feared.  

GH is not just a guy that can do a lot of things well, he is a guy that can do a lot of things very well.  Get him 14 shots a game and watch what happens.

14 shots? He may take 5 three's netting 6 points and 9 two pointers netting 10 points plus two or three fritos. Say a total of 18-19
Ppg plus 5-6 assists and 5 rb over 25 minutes. Very efficient.

I feel he has worked harder than most or all guys because I am sure he feels he let the team down with his inconsistency last year especially in the Milwaukee series.

I know it is an easy target to put some of the blame on Kyrie, but when they were on the floor together it was not as if we were watching “Batman and Robin”. Kyrie did not offer the support needed at times. I am not putting thins all on him, Hayward has admitted himself that he mentally was not in the game a lot of the time. I believe Brown realized as the second half of the season how much
Hayward could offer him and the team. So here is hoping that the rest of them buy in and Hayward proves his worth. This will be one good team if he gets his game back. Time will tell.