You actually tried to provide some rationale for your views this time so I will respond in kind.
Here are the reasons it's unlikely Hayward will be the "secret playoff weapon" everyone is hoping for.
Reason 1: Averaging under 25 minutes a game Hayward was unable to hold up physically this season. Even with a minutes restriction, he needed games off consistently. Many of the games he did play it seemed he was running in molasses while nagged by a series of minor injuries. Would a reasonable person conclude that at the tail end of a season plagued by injury, deconditioning, and inconsistency jumping a guy's playing time by 25-35% per game and asking him to play every game in the most competitive part of the season would lead to him NOT breaking down either mentally or physically? No, probably not.
The reason Hayward was playing 25 mins a game was because a) to manage his workload throughout the season coming back from injury; and b) due to our loaded roster. Contrary to being unable to hold up physically, he's actually improved physically this season. And he hasn't "needed games off consistently". He is at 72 games for the season which is around where he has always been for the past 9 years, except for the 2016 season when he played 80. Of the 10 games he missed, 3 were due to concussion protocol, 1 was due to his ankle sprain. I would hardly call missing 6 games "consistently missing games".
Also, a reasonable person would take into account what the eye test has provided, which is the fact that for the past couple of months, Hayward has been much more aggressive and comfortable in his role than at the start of the season. But now let's look at stats that support the eye test.
Reason 2: Four games in April (when more than half the teams in the NBA are actively tanking or mentally already in Cancoon) do not equate to the playoffs. April 3rd against Miami he went 25-8-5 and most impressively went 12/13 from the free throw line. This created this false narrative that Hayward was now "more aggressive." In his next game he attempted 3 free throws, in the game after that he attempted 0 free throws, in the game after that - he predictably didn't play due to ankle soreness. Does you see the pattern there?
Does it surprise me that Hayward had a great game in April? Absolutely not. He averaged 1 or 2 great games a month ALL SEASON long and after those games? He regressed to the mean and played like himself again. Do I want Hayward to have a great playoffs? Absolutely I do! But if you're asking a guy who proved all season long he's good for about 25 minutes and 11 points a game to be your playoff hero all you're really doing is setting him up to be your playoff scapegoat.
You probably checked Basketball-reference and saw that he was averaging 18ppg in April and assumed that that's the only thing that's caused people to have more confidence in him. I'm not talking just 4 games in April (though the 4 games in April were pretty good). His improvement dates back to the All Star break. That's a sample size of 20+ games, which is a quarter of the season. Here's a comparison of some key metrics pre- and post-All Star break:
Metrics Pre ASB Post ASB
Mins 26 25.5
Per 36
PPG 15.5 17.2
RPG 6.4 4.8
APG 4.8 4.4
FGA 12.5 11.6
FTA 3.3 4.4
Efficiency
FG% 43.8% 55.1%
3FG% 33.7% 31.7%
eFG% 51.2% 59.3%
%PITP 31.1% 47.4%
Usage % 18.3% 17.3%
His per-36 post the All Star break is 17.2 / 4.8. / 4.4 and his net rating over that period (4.5) is better than anyone on the team who played at least 30 games, other than Al Horford with 7.5. And that's with a usage % of 17.5. His FG% is up by 12% to 55.1%. His eFG over that period is 59.3% which is the best on the team, again ahead of Al Horford with 59%. And he's more aggressive, as you can see his PITP% went from 31.1% to 47.4%.
Basically, he has become more efficient, shot a higher percentage on a lower number of shots (and better shots), and got to the free throw line more. His assist % has dropped slightly because he's looking for his shot more and not just shoveling the ball on. And he's probably still only 85% back yet. He'll be better next year. You can blame him for only having 4.4 FTA per 36 per game, though that's actually the best on the team. This team just doesn't get to the free throw line as much but he gets there more than anyone else.
As mentioned earlier, these stats are all supported by the eye test - they confirm what people have been seeing, and have been commenting on about Gordon in the match threads. Everyone sees his improvement (except you). You seem to be stuck on the October version of Hayward.
Also, tanking teams? Please. All 4 teams we played in April had a lot at stake - Miami and Orlando trying to make the playoffs and Indiana trying to get home court advantage.
That being said, I fully expect the intractable Brad Stevens to try to play Hayward 32-38 minutes a night in the playoffs, followed by him breaking down by the end of round 2 and leading to everyone being upset that Rozier and Brown aren't as ready as last year to handle vastly increased minutes at the drop of a hat.
Personally I hope Brad plays Gordon for 35 min a game. The more time he has to influence our playoff games the better for our team.
Your comments lead me to believe, because you keep harping on about Gordon being a max player, that you expect him to somehow score 25 ppg "because that's what other max players are scoring". I've said all season, it won't happen on this team, not with all the touches and shot attempts that his teammates need. This isn't a typical Big 2/3 + roleplayers team, it's an ensemble team with a lot of players who think they are main options. It's more like San Antonio 2014 than Golden State. So if being a "secret weapon" means expecting Gordon to all of a sudden average 25+ ppg then that's unlikely on this team.
But that's not what I'm hoping for. I want to see more of what we've seen post All Star break - someone who is not afraid to go into contact, who shoots the ball efficiently and with confidence, doesn't jack up shots for the sake of it, and is a good distributor. He's the type of player, like Horford, who adds value to a team because he plays the right way and makes the right decisions, not just necessarily because he scores points. It takes astute observers of the game will look beyond the box score to see that value.