COLUMN: Hayward starting to put things together

    Alright, raise your hand if you expected the Jazz to beat the Lakers on Tuesday night. Please keep your hand raised if you expected that win to come mainly due to the efforts of Gordon Hayward, the baby-faced 21-year-old rookie. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that nobody’s hand is still up.

    Well, believe it or not, it happened. Hayward not only scored a career-high 22 points to go along with six boards and five assists, but he also hit the go-ahead free throw and kept Kobe Bryant from even getting a shot off in the final seconds. Hayward’s heroics propelled the Jazz to their first win in nine games, and their first win over the Lakers in the Staples Center since Jan. 1, 2006, a stretch of 17 games.

    The kid’s on fire. Just two days before his performance against L.A., he scored 19 points, his career-high at the time, in a loss to Sacramento. The Jazz have got to be loving his performance, but I’ll tell you one thing, Butler sure could have used their old superstar in the championship game on Monday.

    Hayward’s departure to the NBA may have surprised some people. He was only a sophomore when he left and the Bulldogs had come within inches of winning a national championship. Who can forget Hayward’s half-court heave at the buzzer in last year’s game that was so close every Duke fan watching it nearly had a heart attack?

    But rather than return for his junior year and try again for a championship run, which the Bulldogs did without him, coincidentally, he decided to go pro. In the 2010 draft, Hayward was selected ninth overall by the Utah Jazz, the Jazz’s first lottery pick since 2006 when they chose Ronnie Brewer with the 14th pick.

    So, with our 20/20 hindsight, let’s examine how successful Gordon Hayward’s rookie year has been.

    As of Wednesday night, Hayward is averaging 4.7 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game in 15.8 minutes per game. He has appeared in 67 of the Jazz’s 78 games so far this year and has started 13. Hayward’s performance, like most rookies, has been sporadic. He’s been held scoreless 22 times this year, but has also scored in double figures 12 times. He played a career high 44 minutes against the Clippers in December but also hasn’t even found the floor in 11 other games.

    Yeah, he’s been hot and cold, sometimes really cold, but sometimes, like Tuesday night, really hot. That’s just what you’ve got to expect with most rookies. Many times though, fans don’t think that way, and they get frustrated because they don’t play well. Although it might not really make them feel better, fans should know that he is hardly the only one struggling.

    Of all the rookies drafted in 2010, only two are scoring in double figures, John Wall of the Wizards, and DeMarcus Cousins of the Kings. Many of the other picks have struggled just as much or more than Hayward.

    Take former Kansas center Cole Aldrich. Picked by the Hornets at number 11 and then traded to the Thunder, Aldrich was expected to do big things for OKC, but instead has played in only 18 games, putting up averages of 1.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. Naismith player of the year in 2010 and highly touted coming out of Ohio State, Evan Turner has struggled in the NBA, only posting averages of 7.1 points and 3.9 boards. Ekpe Udoh, drafted number six by Golden State scores only 4.0 per game and grabs 2.9 rebounds.

    The concept of rookies struggling to adjust to the NBA game is not new. Hayward has had some rough patches, but I think all Jazz fans should be excited with his potential. In fact, let me relate to you a quote from the one and only Kobe Bryant concerning young Hayward.

    “I’m very, very fond of him,” Bryant said. “He’s a very skilled, all-around player. I think he’s going to have a very bright future in this league. He reminds me of a more talented Jeff Hornacek. Jeff couldn’t put the ball on the floor as well as (Hayward) can.”

    That kind of praise from one of the best players to ever play the game isn’t a bad start for any rookie.

    So have faith in Hayward, and maybe even believe Kobe on this one, even though I know how hard that is for Jazz fans. It’s true that he didn’t have the greatest season, but player success isn’t defined by a single season.

Mark Israelsen is a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering. He has also been a lifelong fan of the Utah Jazz. He can be reached at mark.israelsen@aggiemail.usu.edu