Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
Gordon Hayward went for 39 points, including the game-winner, against Orlando.
(PHOTO CREDIT: John Raoux/AP.)
I remember saying that the Gordon Hayward that Charlotte wanted in 2014 was much different than the Hayward they were getting in 2020. After all, the Hornets decided to pay Hayward a hefty sum to play for them. 4 years for $120 million. It looked foolish then, especially since he came off a rough, injury-plagued stint in Boston. He was regaining some of his form last season but even that was halted by an ankle injury that put him in a limited role in the postseason bubble.
Hayward badly needed a fresh start. So he bet on himself. He let go of an option year with Boston that was worth over $34 million. I mean, that SEEMS foolish, right? Until Charlotte went and got him for that huge deal, which no other team seemed to be competing for.
Well, Charlotte has been getting a great return thus far and Hayward is proving he’s got a lot more in the tank.
In Boston, the roster looked filled with stars and potential when he was there. In Charlotte, he’s the clear-cut #1 option. He’s averaging a career-best 24.1 points per game to go along with 5.4 boards, and 3.5 dimes. His shooting splits are at .512/.425/.868 so he is close to that mythical 50/40/90 line. And against Orlando on Sunday, he made the game-winning lay-up, which you’ll see later on down. He scored 39 against the Magic and, remember, that he scored a career-best 44 earlier this season.
The Hornets are at 7-9, which is better than what I thought they were going to do at this point. Hayward has been a major reason for that. People love a good comeback story and I feel this has been a bit under the radar because it’s small-market Charlotte.
Good for him, though. After seeing that gruesome injury in his very first game as a Celtic about 3 1/2 years ago, we mostly thought he’d never be the same again. Fingers crossed that he continues to play probably the best ball of his career.
Bullet Passes
No Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam on Sunday so let OG Anunoby loose! 30 points, 8 boards, and FIVE steals in an important Raptors win. Toronto is near .500 at 7-9.
Meanwhile, the Pacers continue to sink with that loss. They’re now 9-7.
Damian Lillard will continue to carry Portland‘s offense with CJ McCollum out. He scored 39 in a win over New York.
Knicks rook Immanuel Quickley was doing his best to keep up, though! He scored a career-high 31 points.
The Clippers have now won 7 straight games to tie the Lakers for the best record in the league at 13-4. Kawhi Leonard nearly got a trip-dub with 34-9-8.
Leonard is averaging a career-high in assists at 5.7.
The Washington Wizards had their first game in nearly two weeks after 6 of their games got postponed due to contract tracing.
They promptly got wiped out by the Spurs on Sunday.
The Cavs were riding high after back-to-back wins over the vaunted Nets. Then they got grounded by the Celtics. Woof.
Jaylen Brown scored 33 points in 19 minutes. Ridiculous.
Coast-to-coast Javale McGee is my favorite.
We see you out there, @JavaleMcGee! 😂 pic.twitter.com/Ze196N11Ar
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 25, 2021
NBA Scoreboard
Jan. 24, 2021
Watch This Play
Probably not the best defense but Hayward got into the paint and scored the game-winning lay-up.
GORDON HAYWARD WINS THE GAME ♨️ pic.twitter.com/geEFFCm2Rm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 25, 2021
What a comeback story so far.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.