| Gordon Hayward |
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 | | Recent Tweets |
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| All Tweets | Could go either way. Both guys have their fans. Do both even enter? RT @SamPorter5: Who gets drafted first Gordon Hayward or Kyle Singler?
2010-03-14 14:51:08 | Why stop there? He's overtaken John Wall and is gunning for Lebron next! RT @From_The_Chi: Gordon Hayward top 5 in the draft?
2010-02-12 05:13:55 | Updated scouting reports on Syracuse's Wesley Johnson,Butler's Gordon Hayward,VCU's Larry Sanders & G-Tech's Gani Lawal http://bit.ly/4tIzVS
2010-01-22 14:46:33 | | Top 25s - Full List |
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| Team: Butler, Sophomore |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 8"
W: 200 lbs
Bday: 03/23/1990
(19 Years Old)
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Current: SF/PF
NBA: SF
Possible: SF/PF
| Round: 1 Pick: 26 in 2010 Mock Draft
Rank 8 in NCAA Sophomores
Rank 26 in Top 100 Prospects
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High School: Brownsburg
Hometown: Brownsburg, Ind.
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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| NCAA Weekly Performers, 1/15/10
January 15, 2010
Joseph Treutlein
After a solid freshman season, Gordon Hayward has upped his production as a sophomore, creating himself some nice draft buzz in the process. The 6’8 Hayward is playing more like a combo forward this season, upping his scoring and rebounding, without sacrificing efficiency.
On the offensive end, despite a decrease in three-point shooting percentage this season (45% to 36%, on just 78 attempts), Hayward’s bread and butter is still his outside shot, boasting a high and quick release with range to the NBA three-point line. Hayward’s shot is incredibly smooth, and one of the most impressive aspects of his shooting is his excellent body control and shot selection, as he almost always squares his shoulders and gets his feet underneath him before taking a shot, leading to very few bad misses. He’s not a great shot creator off the dribble, however, even though he looks very comfortable pulling up in space.
Attacking the basket, Hayward doesn’t have much in terms of advanced ball-handling, rarely changing directions with the ball, but he can handle it comfortably on straight-line drives with either hand, and his ability to take the ball to the basket or throw off a runner in the lane allows him to still score efficiently around the basket. A deceptively good athlete, Hayward has outstanding coordination and body control, while also showing off pretty good explosiveness when he gets his legs under him. He likewise has a solid first step, and is very crafty maneuvering through the lane and finding open spaces, getting to the free throw line at a pretty high rate.
Aside from scoring, Hayward is a very versatile contributor on the offensive end, moving well without the ball, showing a good understanding of spacing, getting out in transition, and playing smart basketball in general. This also shows up in his passing game, where he excels in particular on the drive and dish, and does a good job keeping his head up with the ball. Hayward is already a dangerous threat in transition with his size and body control, and this is before you consider his marksmanship with his three-point shot, something he doesn’t utilize much at this level but could be a very valuable weapon to some open-minded offensive teams in the NBA.
Hayward is also a good offensive rebounder for a small forward, doing a great job of coming out of nowhere to crash the glass, showing good instincts and a high motor in that regard.
The defensive end is where Hayward’s game has the most concerns, as he’s not really an ideal matchup for any position in the NBA, lacking the size to defend most 4’s and not having ideal lateral quickness on the perimeter. While he plays with a good effort level and his fundamentals aren’t bad, he doesn’t have a particularly low stance and he’s a bit stiff in his lateral movements. That said, his foot speed is adequate and he does a good job of using his length to contest shots, making up for his lack of great quickness. There are concerns about how he will stick with many of the explosive small forwards in the NBA, but it’s something many other sharp-shooting forwards (Gallinari, Turkoglu) in the league live with.
Looking forward, Hayward should be a very good bet to go in the first round should he declare this year, and he could be a very quick contributor if he’s drafted to a team with a good point guard and a wide open offense that can take advantage of his range and quick shooting. Becoming more comfortable creating his shot off the dribble and developing his advanced ball-handling should both be among his priorities, even if they don’t become staples of his game, as it will help keep defenses honest.
 [Read Full Article]
USA Basketball Junior National Teams Tryouts: Top Performers
June 20, 2009
Another extremely well-rounded prospect who is bound to become one of this team’s leading players, Gordon Hayward acquainted himself quite well to the NBA talent evaluators in attendance who had not yet penciled in the Horizon League as a legitimate scouting destination.
Strictly a wing player, despite standing 6-8, Hayward showed a very polished game on the offensive end of the floor. He’s first and foremost a terrific shooter, knocking down an incredible 45% of his 3-pointers as a freshman on nearly five attempts per game, which helped him rank in the top-10 in true shooting percentage amongst all NCAA prospects. He sports a quick, effortless stroke, being absolutely automatic with his feet set, but also looking very comfortable stepping back and pulling up off the dribble, particularly after a shot-fake.
Not particularly explosive, Hayward relies on his terrific smarts and excellent array of jab-steps and shot-fakes to keep his man off balance and create space to get his shot off. He does a great job of selling his moves and has terrific credibility thanks to how deadly a shooter he is. Once he gets past his defender, he’s very adept at finding the open man, looking extremely polished with a high basketball IQ, even being capable of playing some pick and roll, which is somewhat of a rarity at his size.
One NCAA coach in attendance didn’t seem to be too surprised by what Hayward was showing. “He’s the best player we played all year,” raved incoming Arizona head coach Sean Miller. His Xavier team only lost two out of conference games last season, to Duke and Butler.
Hayward’s flaws revolve mostly around his average physical profile, not being particularly strong or overwhelmingly athletic. Mostly used as a mismatch nightmare as a face-up power forward, he struggled keeping power forwards off the block, being posted up and pushed around. His lateral quickness is average, and there will be question marks regarding his ability to guard some of the more explosive small forwards he’ll have to match up with at his position in the NBA. With that said, he is a very crafty defender, using his length really well to come up with blocks and steals and also contributing significantly as a rebounder. Offensively, he struggled to create his own shot at times in pure one-on-one situations, as his first step is not all that great if his matchup does not bite on his initial move.
Hayward showed at these tryouts that he could have played for any school in America, and he’s certainly a prospect NBA teams will have to keep tabs on. With Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack (who also fared well here in Colorado Springs), Butler looks like a sure-fire top-25 team next year and a very legit candidate to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament.
[Read Full Article]
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