We saw a glimpse of the very best of Gordon Hayward at the beginning of the 2019-20 season. Before a broken hand sidelined the veteran swingman on November 9th against the Spurs, Hayward was a key catalyst in the team’s eight-game winning streak as he mixed in multiple double-doubles with a 39-point outing against the Cavs in the midst of an 8-1 start to the year for Boston.
That version of Hayward never really returned to the court consistently though once his hand healed before the NBA season was suspended in March. The 30-year-old had a few standout performances but his scoring consistency and burst was up-and-down on the offensive end as he battled a lingering sore foot that caused him to miss time and lack explosiveness. He was also willing to step aside in the offensive hierarchy and make way for the breakouts of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who both played at an All-Star offensive level for much of the year, leaving Hayward to serve as the No. 4 option on many nights when the C’s were at full strength.
Four months of rest has appeared to do Hayward’s game a world of good, however, hitting a crescendo on Sunday night when Hayward posted 31 points on 12-of-18 shooting to help carry the Celtics team to a win they probably didn’t deserve against the Magic.
Boston’s starting backcourt was a combined 8-of-28 from the floor thanks mostly to a nightmare performance from Kemba Walker while the C’s defense was largely MIA for the first 43 minutes of the contest. Those realities combined with the fact that the C’s had nothing to play for in this contest against an Orlando team that was fighting to get out of the No. 8 spot in the East spelled a letdown game for Boston.
Hayward came to the rescue though with his offense though, delivering his first 30-point effort since that 39-point November outburst. It wasn’t the 31 points itself that was impressive but more so the way he went about getting those points. A look at his attempts:
6/8 at the rim
4/5 in midrange
2/5 from 3-point range
The swingman has made a living in Boston trying to feast on open midrange shots in the pick-and-roll, a tactic that works well when he has his jumper going. However, an aggressive Hayward towards the rim opens up a different level of Boston’s offense. He can punish teams with the pass in these spots and he used to be an elite player at drawing contact and getting to the lines in his Utah days before the ankle injury hit. Patience like we see here in the pick-and-roll will punish defenses that stick to shooters on the perimeter instead of coming to help.
Gordon is taking over ?? pic.twitter.com/z0srsTspLt
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 9, 2020
beat him baseline ? pic.twitter.com/CfPPZbbPqR
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 9, 2020
.@gordonhayward with two big buckets to end the quarter pic.twitter.com/zTPSE4I0Sr
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 9, 2020