Who really cares about athleticism? Production is what matters.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9928311/the-murky-waters-restricted-free-agency-their-way-2014
The max-level deal the Pacers gave Paul George, selected one spot after Hayward in the 2010 draft, hovered over the Hayward extension talks. The two players have roughly equivalent per-minute statistics, and Hayward has been the superior 3-point shooter. Utah fans love to make the comparison, whining that the world has overlooked Hayward while deifying George, and Hayward's agent would have been dumb not to trot out the same stats — and to point out that George has worked with a much better veteran surrounding cast.
But the argument doesn't quite pass muster, mostly because the per-minute numbers ignore a thing called "defense" that comprises half of every NBA game. Hayward has been uneven as a defender, both one-on-one and within Utah's team rotations. George is already among the dozen or so best defenders in the game. His wingspan is almost four inches longer than Hayward's — a big difference — and Hayward this season must prove he can defend bigger wings consistently.
Two kind of connected points:
1. Something tells me Hayward would spend more time at the 2 if he came to the Celtics. Maybe it's because Ainge doesn't have much confidence in Bradley. I dunno, just a hunch. But if this is the case, his defense will become better solely due to size mismatches.
2. I'm more concerned by the rebounding discrepancy between George and Hayward. Defense is mostly effort, and Gordon certainly puts in the effort, so his defense doesn't worry me. Gordon's rebounding has been better so far this season, but that's a small sample size. If he were to play at the 2, I suppose his rebounds would matter less.
I can see an argument being made for him getting the max because George did. Doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it, though.
