Gordon Hayward achieves NBA All-Star goal, soaks in 'surreal experience'
NEW ORLEANS – Gordon Hayward landed in New Orleans on Thursday, checked into his hotel and then headed to the NBA’s media circuit where he conducted interviews with NBA TV’s 10 Before Tip, NBA.com, ESPN and ESPN Radio.
He hadn’t even been in New Orleans for two hours.
“It’s just a surreal experience,” Hayward told USA TODAY Sports as he walked back to his hotel after a whirlwind of activity.
Surreal might also be the way to describe Hayward’s journey – the son of 5-11 parents who grew to 6-8 and became a high school star in Indiana, a college star at Butler and was drafted by the Utah Jazz.
Now, he’s Jazz All-Star forward Gordon Hayward.
“It just felt very rewarding that the work you did starts to pay off and you see results,” Hayward told USA TODAY Sports of his first All-Star appearance.
He is averaging a career-high 22.2 points and shooting 46.5% from the field, including a career-high 38.5% on three-pointers. Though his assists are down as his scoring increase, he’s also shooting a career-high from the foul line (87%) and averaging a career-high in rebounds (5.6).
It’s not just offense either. Hayward is a key part of the league’s second-best defense, which allows 101.6 points per 100 possessions.
He has helped the Jazz to a 35-22 record, a half-game behind the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers. Utah is on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
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Dream big, work hard and improve every day. Simple enough in theory, but difficult in practice.
But that’s what Gordon Scott Hayward said his son believed in from a young age, even when a young Gordon said he wanted to play in the NBA.
“It’s the culmination of a bunch of hard work he’s put into the game since he’s been in the league,” the father said.
It’s always about the work. What is a person willing to do to become even better?
Hayward has always dedicated himself to basketball, but last summer he wanted to find ways to making scoring easier.
“You want to take shots you practice thousands and thousands of times,” Hayward said. “You want to take those same shots in games. The easier you can find those shots, the better.”
He focused on his footwork and operating offensively from the nail, a spot in the middle of the foul line. For footwork, he watched video of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
“You just see the ease in which both of them were able to get shots off at any point and take advantage of mismatches,” Hayward said. “If one thing was taken away, they had a counter for it. The game was so easy for them because they did the same things over and over and over. I wanted to put some of that into my game.”
He also believed he could take advantage of mismatches at the foul line. “I feel that’s an area where I can off a good shot if the floor is spaced, but it wasn’t something I was too comfortable at. It was a place I needed to work on.”
Turning into an All-Star was not a goal until he played in the Risings Stars Challenge in 2012. “I realized if I put in the work I could do it,” Hayward said. “I made it a goal then and have worked toward it ever since.”
Last summer, he declined an opportunity to play for the U.S. at the Rio Olympics to concentrate on the 2016-17 season. “He told me, ‘I want to be an All-Star,’ ” his father said.
Dream big, work hard and improve every day. Now, Gordon Hayward is one of the best players in the NBA.
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