Gordon Hayward opens up a bit more about decision to leave the Celtics for the Hornets
"I envisioned going somewhere where I’d have more responsibility."
When Gordon Hayward made the decision to leave the Celtics for the Hornets this past offseason, many speculated that he made the change so he could play a bigger role on a team.
In a recent blog post detailing his first season in Charlotte, Hayward practically admitted that was a reason why he joined the Hornets.
“When I signed, I envisioned going somewhere where I’d have more responsibility and could maximize who I am as a basketball player—or at least, have an opportunity to maximize who I am,” Hayward wrote. “I have that here. I have the ball in my hands more and I have more responsibility. That’s what I wanted.
“It allows me to be more aggressive. That’s been kind of a mantra for me my entire career and something that I think every coach throughout most of my basketball career has told me: I’ve got to continue, every night, to try to stay aggressive and assert myself. I did the same thing when I was in Utah, and, certainly, it’s the case here as well.”
Joining the Hornets has given Hayward more opportunities to score. He’s averaging a team-high 21 points per game this season, his highest since his final season with the Jazz in 2017. Hayward’s also averaging a team-high 15.9 shots per game, which is also a career-high.
In his three seasons in Boston, Hayward never really got the chance to be one of the team’s top-scoring options. Just minutes into his first game as a Celtic, Hayward suffered a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle in his left leg, forcing him to miss the rest of that season. In his second year, Hayward struggled to get back to his All-Star form, averaging 11.5 points per game. Hayward’s third season in Boston brought some optimism that he could still play at a top-level as he averaged 17.5 points per game, but he was fourth on the team in field goal attempts per game.
When Hayward agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal with the Hornets in November, he cited the “the commitment and potential” Hornets owner Michael Jordan saw in him years ago as a reason to head to Charlotte.
“The vision that the organization had . . . of where this team could go, where they could get to, how they believe they could utilize me, where I fit in to all of that, and the impact that they believe I can have and kind of being able to maximize my impact on winning and helping this team get to that next level was really enticing and really powerful and something I want to be a part of,” Hayward told reporters then.
Hayward’s Hornets and the Celtics both have a 19-18 record this season.
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