This offseason, teams have been wooed by the prospect of landing a free agent like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, or Chris Bosh.
While the Jazz don’t stand much of a chance to sign a big-name free agent, they did improve their team by drafting Gordon Hayward in Thursday’s draft.
Hayward, the 6 foot 8 inch forward out of Butler University, showcased his versatility in last season’s NCAA tournament. The Indiana native led the Bulldogs to within two points of beating powerhouse Duke in the national championship. In doing so, he showed scouts the potential to replace a current, and brittle, Jazz player.
After spending much of the season on the bench with injuries, the Jazz were forced to reconsider forward Andrei Kirilenko’s role. Fortunately for the Jazz, Hayward declared for the draft early, allowing the Jazz to scoop up another versatile forward with the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft.
Hayward has shooting range that will allow him to be a lethal mid-range shooter and be effective from long-range. He possesses impeccable ball handling for such a tall player—just ask the slew of defenders he embarrassed with his crossover throughout the NCAA tournament—while still having the height to finish strong at the rim.
But as is the custom, “Bilas-and-company” at ESPN are forced to assess the negative aspects of a player, and Hayward does have some issues.
If he is to be an adequate replacement for Kirilenko in the future, Hayward must improve defensively. He was a good rebounder in college, but he was never the lock-down defender that Kirilenko was in his prime. Hayward does not possess great shot-blocking or stealing ability, and is not quite quick enough to stop the elite small forwards in the NBA as a rookie.
How to solve this problem? Enter Jerry Sloan. Perhaps the most hard-nosed coach in the NBA, there is no one better fitted to toughen up a green rookie. And don’t forget, the Jazz have a reputation of maximizing rookie potential—see Wesley Matthews.
As with any draftee, there are pros and cons to Hayward. However, there is one fact that no one can argue against: Hayward knows how to win.
For those of you not familiar with Butler University, it’s a small school in the Horizon League with an enrollment of 4,512 students. Though it is located in basketball-crazy Indianapolis, Butler has only been a blip on the national basketball radar.
But when Hayward arrived, the school made a name for itself outside of Indy. In only two years at Butler, Hayward led the Bulldogs to 59 wins. Had Hayward sunk his off-the-rim half court heave with time expiring against Duke, Butler would have pulled off perhaps the greatest upset in NCAA Championship history.
People can gripe about Hayward’s lanky frame and immature defense, but every rookie has flaws that need attention.
Hayward is a raw talent with a skill set that will compliment Deron Williams and the Jazz perfectly.
If any organization can turn him into an effective player, it is the Jazz. Anyone who thinks otherwise is sorely mistaken.