How much longer do we need to give hayward?

[Chris22]

I keep telling you guys, his wife just had a baby.

He isn't getting any sleep.

[ozgod]

He looks good tonight. A nice dunk, multiple 3’s and multiple FTs along with the usual passing and solid D.

He did okay. 36 points. Pretty good.

 

But did you see Jae Crowder get 30 in that loss last night? That's the guy we need.

Oh man, maybe this means that tomorrow a certain somebody should congratulate Hayward on his 36 tonight in a WINNING effort, or will he? 

Some people are more than happy to criticize when players play like Edited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline. (rightfully so) but much more reluctant to give credit when it’s due. No names of course 

[Walker Wiggle]

I think one thing that Hayward showed last night was aggression turning the corner after receiving the ball at the top of the key. They are doing a lot of "horns" sets  which means he often catches and drives to his right. In too much of the season to this point he'd either drive too nonchalantly or slowly, or he'd get caught in no-man's-land and not know what to do. Other teams have been baiting him into 2-point jumpers off that action too, and he hasn't hit them. Last night looked like he got some aggression back, and he also seemed more comfortable making decisions off the drive. That alleyoop to Horford last night was a great example. Really, in the past few games his passing has been excellent even as his shot hasn't been going down, which is a good sign.

The fact that he dunked three times in this game fairly naturally and effortlessly was also encouraging. It shows that the strength and overall physical capability is there. In other words, he's not broken. I read a quote this morning (can't remember the source, sorry) from Hayward in which he acknowledges that his lateral quickness and the degree of ankle soreness he's experiencing are still gradually improving.

Who knows if the guy will ever be what he was in 2016-17, but it's pretty silly to assume that what you've seen from Hayward in the first half of this season is what he'll be going forward.

[Hoopvortex]

They are doing a lot of "horns" sets  which means he often catches and drives to his right.
...

That alleyoop to Horford last night was a great example. Really, in the past few games his passing has been excellent even as his shot hasn't been going down, which is a good sign.

And in fact that one, at 4:03 of the fourth, came out of a horns set, with Gordo starting out as the left “horn”, beating Wiggins badly off the dribble. If Towns hadn’t switched he had a layup. Really nicely done, throwing the lob perfectly over KAT.

Wiggins came into the league with a reputation as a defender. What the hell happened?

I think that people often don’t get everything that Hayward is doing out there, and putting too much importance on his scoring. He’s a jack-of-all-trades; his real strength is providing whatever is needed, whether it’s scoring or something else - in the case you mentioned, as the ballhandler in a three-man game.

Who knows if the guy will ever be what he was in 2016-17, but it's pretty silly to assume that what you've seen from Hayward in the first half of this season is what he'll be going forward.

He’ll prove the doubters wrong.  There’s no indication of a chronic problem, or that he’s lost his work ethic (quite the contrary, in fact!).  He’s playing good defense - that ought to be the best indicator of whether or not he’ll get his body back.

Welcome to you. Glad to have someone who’s taking a close look.

[cman88]

good thing I started this thread. two solid games in a row. a near triple double last night.

[10610786d]

good thing I started this thread. two solid games in a row. a near triple double last night.

You know what was impressive? The cross court pass he threw. Not only has he been scoring more, but all other aspects of his game have been picking up as well.

[Chris22]

good thing I started this thread. two solid games in a row. a near triple double last night.

Everyone is playing better without Irving.

[GreenEnvy]

Originally I would have said around Christmas/New Year’s, but I think most of us failed to also account for his drastic role change that he also has to get used to.

Yes we know all about the injury and the second surgery and the physical and mental grind. But then also playing with new teammates in a new (but familiar?) system and then moving to the bench as a max player?

That seems like an overwhelming amount to overcome so quickly.

I think we were too harsh, too quickly and looked at his paycheck more than the reality of the his specific situation.

So now I will change my answer to the All-Star break. When we return from that I expect to see the Gordon Hayward we all expected when he announced his decision to come here.

I mean he just put up 35 in under 32 minutes, which isn’t far off from his career high (39 in 39 minutes). Followed that up with nearly a triple-double in 30 minutes.

He’s putting it all back together. We are seeing his athleticism, timing, decision-making, and confidence continue to improve.