USA TODAY International Edition
New home hive reignites Hayward
Gordon Hayward is running late on a Saturday morning. That’s what happens with four children ( three daughters and an infant son) in the house. Even a game the night before – a victory against Minnesota – doesn’t relieve him of daddy duties before practice.
The whirlwind of free agency – and an eye- popping four- year, $ 120 million deal for Gordon, who left the Celtics for the Hornets – and frenzy of moving his family from the Northeast to the South is evaporating.
“We’re still sorting through boxes and getting adjusted week by week,” Hayward said. “The first couple of months I was here in a hotel by myself, so it’s way better having the family here. The girls started school last week and we’re starting to get settled in.”
On the court, Hayward, 30, has found his place, putting together the type of season he hasn’t had since he played for Utah four seasons ago.
Regardless if he makes the All- Star team – reserves are set for unveiling Tuesday – Hayward is having an AllStar season: 21.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game and shooting 48.5% from the field, including a careerhigh 43.2% on 3- pointers, and a careerhigh 86.4% on foul shots.
“The style of play that Coach ( James Borrego) wants to play, we’re really moving the ball, passing, cutting, it’s my style of basketball, it’s what I like to do,” the 6- foot- 7, 225- pounder told USA TODAY. “Everyone has been getting along on the court, and it seems like we’re all having fun out there. That makes for a fun season when people are sharing the ball. We’re not perfect and we have so much to get better at, but the younger guys are genuinely trying to learn and get better and they have a joy for the game, which I think is really cool.”
Going into Monday, Charlotte was 1415, in eighth place in the Eastern Conference and in playoff contention, which is what the Hornets wanted from Hayward and what he wanted to provide.
“I went into this thinking this is going to be a challenge,” Hayward said. “When I was looking at it, we have a bunch of young talented players and I can be in a position to try and help us get to the next level and help us continue to grow as a team and try to do what I can to help us win as many basketball games as we can. That’s been the case this season. We’ve had some really good wins, and we’ve had some tough losses as should be expected with a young basketball team. I’m having a blast.”
Said Borrego: “He’s brought us a winning mentality, a professionalism in the locker room and on the court. He’s raised the bar for us in how we conduct ourselves in practice and in games. On the court, he’s provided us everything I expected and more.
“He’s been a big playmaker. We wanted a big wing who could make plays off the dribble, pick- and- rolls, in transition, and he’s done that. He’s a player you can play through in the fourth quarter as well. He’s someone I can throw the ball to and he can create offense for us, which is big for us.”
Hayward’s decision to sign with Charlotte was the surprise of free agency, and more eyebrow- raising was the deal it offered – just one year removed from declining to offer Kemba Walker a max contract in free agency in 2019. What were the Hornets thinking? However, the situations were different. Walker also wanted an opportunity to advance in the playoffs, something he had never done in two postseason appearances with Charlotte, and he’d logged considerable minutes and games during his eight seasons with the franchise. Questions about Walker’s longterm durability are starting to play out in Boston as he struggles with knee issues in his two seasons with the Celtics.
Also, the Hornets realized the value of having a box- office and TV draw player. That’s the price for paying for flair. And Charlotte is a fun team to watch with Hayward, rookie star LaMelo Ball, scorers Terry Rozier, Devonte Graham, P. J. Washington, Malik Monk and Miles Bridges, one of the NBA’s best dunkers.
Gordon, who has dealt with injuries including offseason surgery to repair a damaged foot nerve, compares Charlotte to the rising teams he played for in Utah. “It took some grinding,” he said. “After we traded some players and the organization decided they were going to rebuild, we had some tough years early on with ( coach) Quin ( Snyder). But we stuck to it, and my last year in Utah we made it to the playoffs, beat the Clippers and had a great run. That was special, and you try to do the same thing here.”
Once Gordon signed, Borrego wanted to spend time with him. “You don’t get to know somebody in two Zoom calls,” Borrego said. “I got to know more about him and things he valued and things he liked and how he wanted to play. I wanted to take in more from Gordon and sit down with my staff and figure out how are we going to fit this guy into our system and how that would blend with the rest of our group.”
Borrego and his staff came up with a plan. “When I talked to him, I said, ‘ Who says these can’t be the best years of your career. I want you to come here and get better as a player. I want to challenge you in certain areas. We’re going to change your shot profile. Your usage will go up, and I expect you to be a highly efficient,’ ” Borrego said. “I felt with our development program and our style of play, it fit.”
Hayward clearly is more comfortable with Charlotte. For multiple reasons – injuries, other stars emerging, varying roles – it doesn’t always work out for a player. Hayward stresses he still loved his time in Boston.
“As we all were in Boston, disappointed and frustrated with the outcomes, and a lot of that has to do with some unlucky and untimely injuries, especially on my part. But I couldn’t be happier in Charlotte and needed a fresh start – just a place where I could challenge myself and maximize who I am as a player.”