I think people are forgetting how good Hayward is in all aspects of the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEt8p6a6uXU
I actually think the exact opposite. It seems a lot of fans have expectations that are too high, mostly because of the "max contract" label. Hayward will be the fourth best player on the team, behind Irving, Tatum, and then Brown. I fully expect Hayward to be a team contributor, make the right play, and play within the framework of the schemes. But if fans criticize Al Horford for "not being a max guy" then Hayward is going to get the criticism even worse. I see a lot of fans penciling Hayward in for 20ppg next season. They are going to be in for a big surprise. I'm fully expecting him to average about 13, 3, and 3 while playing about 26 minutes a game.
Are those expectations based upon any kind of reality?
Yes, they are. For his career, he only averages 15.6ppg. He is now returning from a left tibia fracture/dislocation while playing on a team that has many scoring options. Under these circumstances, why is it unrealistic to believe he will average 13ppg?
Because his production has increased every year of his career. He’s not a 15.6ppg scorer. Rather, he was a Western Conference All-Star averaging 22 ppg, comparing favorably to Paul George and Jimmy Butler.
Marcus Morris scores 13 ppg this year. Hayward is obviously more talented and accomplished than Morris, so it seems a bit odd that Hayward wouldn’t exceed that projection.
Fair enough. But, his numbers increased as he became the number one option. His efficiency, however, didn't necessarily increase. Given Hayward's mediocre efficiency, I cannot see how the offense would benefit by giving him more shots than either Tatum or Brown, who have both proven to be more efficient (Tatum especially). Not the end all be all, but Tatum had a higher TS% as a rookie than every season Hayward ever had except 2016-2017. Last season, Jaylen Brown's TS% was .562. Hayward's career TS% is literally .563. Also, take into consideration that Brown's TS% is adversely affected with poor FT shooting. If he can improve his FTs, his TS% should only continue to rise. I am not saying that Hayward is a bad player. Rather, I am saying I do not see the substantial evidence to declare him a better player than either Brown or Tatum, or a player deserving of more shots/touches, especially when he is coming off a significant injury.
Hayward is not a bad player, however he IS a bad contract. I hope they can find a way to get out from under it.
Hayward is only a bad contract if you factor in him making $30 million on a broken leg. His contract is market rate for the player he was (and hopefully continues to be after he recovers)
There's always this odd idea that floats around here that if a player isn't a super-duper star they aren't worthy of a max, but that isn't true. He makes about as much as Lebron and Curry because those guys are massively underpaid, not because he's overpaid.
Salary for 2017-2018 per espn
He makes about as much as Lebron and Curry because he's the 4th highest paid player in the NBA.
Here's his salary compared to some other names that have been tossed around on #Celticsblog over the years.
Hayward: $29,727,900
Kevin Durant $25,000,000
Bradley Beal $23,775,506
Giannis Antetokounmpo $22,471,910
Victor Oladipo $21,000,000
Paul George $19,508,958
Jimmy Butler $19,301,070
Kawhi Leonard $18,868,626
Demarcus Cousins $18,063,850
Draymond Green $16,400,000
Khris Middleton $14,100,000
I would say the Celtics are paying 50%-100% premium for the player Hayward was compared to the contracts of comprable players.
