Draft Prospect: Gordon Hayward

[Bruno]

http://www.docsports.com/images/lib/large/gordon-hayward.jpg
Height: 6-8
Weight: 210 lbs
Birthday: 03/23/1990
College: Butler

DraftExpress (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Gordon-Hayward-5514/)
nbadraft (http://www.nbadraft.net/players/gordon-hayward)

[5in10]

I would not be mad if the spurs drafted this kid. He's a proven winner, a team player, and a knockdown jumpshooter. I also like his size, defense and underated athleticism. He reminds
me a lot of a taller mike miller.

[tothrowed]

drafttttttttt himmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[kbrury]

hell no!

[AFBlue]

I think Hayward gets unfairly labeled as the unathletic shooter, because he seems to have decent athleticism and isn't a bad rebounder either. Good size for a SF.

The Spurs could do worse than drafting this kid in the mid-first round.

[AFBlue]

Also, being 14 years old there's still plenty of time for him to develop.

[hsxvvd]

He doesn't seem to have the sort of skills we really need, but he just seems to be the type of player who'd fit so well with Blair and Hill.

[mogrovejo]

I think he's a pretty good defender. He's superb fronting the post and makes lot of big plays. Also believe his athleticism is underrated - he does lot of athletic things that people generally don't notice: say, he's a great 2nd jump plus and he's that "quick twitch", in a crowd he's frequently the first guy leaping off the floor.

This is a lesson for wannabe scouts: the ability to jump off the floor quicker is more important than the ability to jump higher. Vertical leaps and all that stuff people go crazy about: nice, but not really that important.

I don't see what exactly he can do for you offensively in the NBA though. I thought he was a big time shooter after watching him play but he's shooting below 30% for the season. Huh. Without a good jump-shot, I don't think there's NBA basketball in him.

[jesterbobman]

I also think the fact that he plays such a PF type role at Butler (And Centre in a way When Howard Goes out), that he doesn't have a chance to roam and use his length, as Singler did today. I think he can be a poor man's Odom, a big 3/4 who can handle and pass and shoot. He crashes boards aswell, though I don't think he'll be an NBA star, though probably a better big 3 than little 4. (ie, better in Odoms role alongside Bynum and Gasol than playing at PF). His size presents a mismatch, though to be productive he'd probably have to go back towards his freshman shooting %'s. I like him much more than Singler, the other combo forward(and "Unathletic white guy") in the late 1st. I think he could be an option, though you always have to wait to see who falls.

[mountainballer]

I like the way Hayward shots. i think he can be much better than the 30% from this season. a player can have a cold game and some, especially when they are young, can have a cold season. (that's what pushed Michael Redd the 2nd round). Hayward reportedly grew extremely late, so we can assume he had to adjust a lot from season to season. nonetheless his fundamental shooting mechanic looks very good. maybe he isn't a 45% career sniper from and his freshman season was a fluke, but I'm sure overall he is closer to 40% than to the 30% he delivered this season.

[Mr. Body]

He dipped in shooting this year over last year and as a Butler fan, I hope he stays for at least another year. Given the overall youth of the team and their promise, I expect him too. He has a lot of skills, needs to put on some weight and strength and develop more of a killer instinct. I think he could be very solid.

[mountainballer]

I would be very surprised if Hayward goes back. can he repeat or top the success of this season? likely not?
(Butler was great, but you have to factor in a huge amount of luck to the whole story. a last minute 3 that goes in or a freshman mistake that doesn't happen and Murray writes this story and none talks about Butler at all)
and while many scouts think he can improve a lot next season by gaining weight and work on his shooting consistency, vice versa there is the youth argument that might intrigue NBA teams even more at this point. currently it looks very likely that he will be a 1st round pick, going maybe even in the higher 10s. is it realistic that he becomes a top ten pick 2011? I don't think so.
the risk to lose money seems higher than the chance to win some spots in 2011.

IMO Hayward will enter the draft and he definitely should be on the Spurs list. (can't tell if he should be higher on their list than let's say Pondexter or George, but no doubt he is a very interesting option.)

[hsxvvd]

I don't know if he's draft value will ever really be more than a 15-20 pick. When the camps start and the "athletic" players start wowing the scouts, his NCAA Tournament exploits will fade in their memories.

Blair is a classic example, ACL's of no ACL's, any scouting watching the tourny last year would have had to be more impressed than a 2nd rounder.

He'll be one of those guys that slips in the draft, some team will pick him up, he'll instantly make them a better team, but he won't necessarily get the credit for it.

[mogrovejo]

maybe he isn't a 45% career sniper from and his freshman season was a fluke, but I'm sure overall he is closer to 40% than to the 30% he delivered this season.

Didn't know this. If he projects as a good shooter, he's a good prospect. He's very long and has a high release point. He can run the pick'n'roll as a ballhandler. He doesn't mess around when he has the ball on his hands. Some GM will like his potential and draft him around the 25th spot. Shouldn't stay in school (unless a NBA career isn't his priority).

[Mel_13]

Butler forward Gordon Hayward is going to enter the NBA draft but will not sign with an agent, allowing him to return to school if he withdraws his name by May 8.

The school confirmed the decision Wednesday afternoon.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/ncaa/wires/04/14/2060.ap.bkc.butler.hayward/

[Mr. Body]

I see him coming back to school. I'm fairly intimate with the Butler program, albeit as an outsider. This feels like a testing the waters thing and he'll be returning for one more year, knowing he has things to work on.

Could definitely be wrong.

[JoshO501]

I think he goes back to Butler as well. But if hes there at 20 I would love for the Spurs to draft him.

[mountainballer]

http://www.fox59.com/news/isn-050510-hayward-draft,0,2851269.story
INDIANAPOLIS - Butler sophomore forward Gordon Hayward will stay in the NBA Draft, sources have told IndySportsNation.com on Wednesday afternoon.


now that's great news!
Hayward was one of the last question marks in the late lottery/mid first round. he will be on the Spurs radar, that's for sure and he will be one of those if picked higher than #20, who will push another good player down one spot.

[AFBlue]

now that's great news!
Hayward was one of the last question marks in the late lottery/mid first round. he will be on the Spurs radar, that's for sure and he will be one of those if picked higher than #20, who will push another good player down one spot.

:tu

Adds to draft depth at a position the Spurs will likely target.

[mountainballer]

there is clearly a tendency in the last week, that Hayward takes the highest spot of all SFs we see as realistic targets. DX also reports, that he is ond of the most discussed targets by many teams. currently it seems as if he climbs out of our area. some mocks already see him in the lottery. intersting also, that in some mocks he is ranked higher than Henry.
teams and mocks obviously like his upside.

[mountainballer]

interesting situation around Hayward.....


Some fans in Indy are hoping Hayward's next stop doesn't require any traveling. It could happen.

"We welcome him to the NBA and wish him the best for a long, successful and prosperous career," Pacers president Larry Bird said. "He's definitely an interesting prospect."

Bird should know. He also played for an unlikely national finalist, Indiana State, in 1979 before becoming a Hall-of-Fame player with the Boston Celtics. The Sycamores never made it back.
http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2010/05/07/butler_looks_toward_season_without_hayward/


some commentators already panic:


Let me put it more simply: If team president Larry Bird takes Hayward, I'm calling for his head. Immediately. Because it would be a signal that the business people have taken over the organization, and they've been reduced to making choices based on the number of tickets they think they can sell.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100510/SPORTS15/5100326/1062/SPORTS04/Hayward-Pacers-need-to-say-no


however, of course a #10 pick for Hayward looks much to high, but none can ignore the local hero implications.
Pacers will be rebuilding for 2 more seasons, so whoever they pick won't need to be NBA ready. (which Hayward isn't). and Dunleavy's contract expires 2011, so Hayward could become his logical successor.
could very well lead to a trade down scenario. (with the Bucks?)

but overall the Indy story is another indication that Hayward will long be gone before we pick.

[Bruno]

I'm really curious to see where Babbitt and Hayward will be drafted. Last year, Budinger slips from being projected as a first round pick to the 44th pick.

Will they have the same fate because of the nonathletic label (aka white label) or will Budinger good rookie season help them not to slip?

[SenorSpur]

:tu

Adds to draft depth at a position the Spurs will likely target.

Amen.

And hopefully his entrance into the draft will push another quality SF down to the Spurs.

[scottspurs]

The more I look at Hayward's stats the more i dislike the idea of the spurs drafting him. He is going to be a poor defender and he couldn't even shoot 30% from the college three point line. He entered the draft at the right time, but I don't want the spurs to draft him.

[benefactor]

My thoughts on Hayward:



Hayward has all the tools to be the perfect role player...and as DX mentioned, he should excel in that arena instead of having to be the man like he was at Butler. He has great length at 6'8 and can shoot from anywhere. I think that much of the decline in his 3pt shooting has to do with him being the offensive focus for Butler. He is also a great defensive rebounder for a SF. To put it in perspective, Dejuan Blair averaged 6.8 defensive rebounds per game in his last season at Pitt and Hayward averaged 6.3 last year almost the same amount of minutes. That's pretty good company.

He's a very intelligent player that plays within his limits...as his athleticism is questionable. This also makes him hard to project defensively. However, this does not mean he will automatically be a bad defender, as he shows good effort and makes good decisions on the defensive end. One only has to look as far as JJ Redick to see that there are players out there that can become good team defenders and passable man defenders at the NBA level when they work hard, play smart and stay within themselves.

[BronxCowboy]

The reason people are nervous about drafting 6'8" white guys:

http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/media/act_adam_morrison.jpg

[scottspurs]

The reason people are nervous about drafting 6'8" white guys:

http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/media/act_adam_morrison.jpg

Exactly

[benefactor]

They should probably avoid 7 foot tall black guys too.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/peoplescritic/library/michael_olowokandi_a.jpg

[BronxCowboy]

Good point, but Kandiman still had a better career at this point.

[benefactor]

Eh...Morrison is a bad comparison to Hayward anyway. Morrison is a 3rd overall pick drafted to make an impact. Hayward will be a role player that should be drafted in the teens/early twenties. All he'll be asked to do is come off the bench and hit a few open shots, pull down some boards and play decent defense.

[yavozerb]

Pretty much any player taken at the #20 spot should be considered reserve material.

[Bruno]

...

[BronxCowboy]

Eh...Morrison is a bad comparison to Hayward anyway. Morrison is a 3rd overall pick drafted to make an impact. Hayward will be a role player that should be drafted in the teens/early twenties. All he'll be asked to do is come off the bench and hit a few open shots, pull down some boards and play decent defense.

And I actually do think he'll work out better on the boards and on defense, just based on his effort in college alone. And I think he is more selective with his shots than Morrison was, which will go a long way toward his game translating better to the NBA.

[SenorSpur]

Pretty much any player taken at the #20 spot should be considered reserve material.

I agree that said player, taken by the Spurs @ #20, would likely be considered reserve material this season. However, ideally you would want that rookie to be talented and gifted enough that he would at least challenge RJ for the starting SF position this year and, with continued upward development, be ready to assume the position the following season.

That's why this pick, the highest the Spurs have had since '97, is so very important.

[yavozerb]

I agree that said player, taken by the Spurs @ #20, would likely be considered reserve material this season. However, ideally you would want that rookie to be talented and gifted enough that he would at least challenge RJ for the starting SF position this year and, with continued upward development, be ready to assume the position the following season.

That's why this pick, the highest the Spurs have had since '97, is so very important.

I agree that this will be a big pick to add depth but please do not even compare this to 97'. This pick is only 7-8 spots before the spurs normal pick and 19 picks behind 97'...Cracks me up that some think the #20 pick is going to deliver big minutes next season and they do then the odds are the spurs are having a horrible season.

[SenorSpur]

I agree that this will be a big pick to add depth but please do not even compare this to 97'. This pick is only 7-8 spots before the spurs normal pick and 19 picks behind 97'...Cracks me up that some think the #20 pick is going to deliver big minutes next season and they do then the odds are the spurs are having a horrible season.

Look. Nobody is proclaiming this as a lottery pick. Or that the player selected is going to be an instant difference-maker. We all know the draft is such an inexact science. Yet it was just last year that we saw a very good college player (Blair) fall into the Spurs laps.

The track record of the Spurs FO indicates they do very good job of scouting and drafting the kind of player that fits into their system. They will be helped considerably this year in that they are now drafting near the middle of the round, and more importantly, ahead of young teams like OKC & Portland. Both of which have a lot of what the Spurs don't have - a wealth of young, athletic talent.

The point is the Spurs, now picking at #20, should be in a better position to nab a young, talented player earlier than have in recent years. A player that that can hopefully be both a contributing role player and an integral part of their future.

[kobyz]

from what i see from him he is very Hedo Turkoglu clone!(meybe with more energy)

[mogrovejo]

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/93834299.html

That article is about Lazar Hayward from Marquette, not Gordon Hayward from Butler. I doubt Lazar Hayward gets drafted.

[Bruno]

That article is about Lazar Hayward from Marquette, not Gordon Hayward from Butler. I doubt Lazar Hayward gets drafted.

Oops, Thanks.

[Bruno]

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2010/05/2010-nba-draft-combine-recap/


What also came quickly for Hayward was his meteoric rise into the national spotlight and his place on many draft boards as he interviewed with a number of teams while in Chicago. “I interviewed with eight teams [on Thursday}. I interviewed with Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Utah, Atlanta, and I interviewed with the Bulls. I know I'm leaving somebody out, but it's been a lot."

[mogrovejo]

Did the Spurs interview everybody?

[Ditty]

Did the Spurs interview everybody?

:lol foreal

[duncan228]

Spurs in Preview: With the draft, an opportunity to build for the future (http://www.kens5.com/sports/basketball/Spurs-in-Preview-With-the-draft-an-opportunity-to-build-for-the-future-93674379.html)
by Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5

A few players caught the Roundup’s eye this season:

Gordon Hayward -- 6'8'', Small forward, soph. Butler

-What you need to know: Hayward is the kind of prospect who might not even be on the board when the Spurs pick in the first round. But then again, he still might be sitting there when the Spurs pick in the second. Teams love his size and his scoring ability. He shot 59 percent from two-point range last year, and he’s also a very good ball handler. But he shot below 30 percent from three-point range last season, and DraftExpress might have the reason (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Gordon-Hayward-5514/) why: teams were much less likely to allow Hayward to catch and shoot last year once they discovered that he had good range.

J6AdlhgwqWo

[Mr. Body]

Spurs in Preview: With the draft, an opportunity to build for the future (http://www.kens5.com/sports/basketball/Spurs-in-Preview-With-the-draft-an-opportunity-to-build-for-the-future-93674379.html)
by Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5

A few players caught the Roundup’s eye this season:

Gordon Hayward -- 6'8'', Small forward, soph. Butler

-What you need to know: Hayward is the kind of prospect who might not even be on the board when the Spurs pick in the first round. But then again, he still might be sitting there when the Spurs pick in the second. Teams love his size and his scoring ability. He shot 59 percent from two-point range last year, and he’s also a very good ball handler. But he shot below 30 percent from three-point range last season, and DraftExpress might have the reason (http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Gordon-Hayward-5514/) why: teams were much less likely to allow Hayward to catch and shoot last year once they discovered that he had good range.


He "still might be sitting there when the Spurs pick in the second"?

Who writes this shit??

[Chieflion]

Bump. I now see him as a more realistic option for the 20th pick.

[Thompson]

Bump. I now see him as a more realistic option for the 20th pick.

Don't most people still think the Pacers will take him?

[Chieflion]

Don't most people still think the Pacers will take him?

I think he might get picked there, but he could also drop all the way down to 20. People think he is going to get drafted by the Pacers because he played in Butler, so he is more of a hometown favorite. We will see come draft night.

[DesignatedT]

He "still might be sitting there when the Spurs pick in the second"?

Who writes this shit??

no shit... that's just terrible.

[blkroadrunners]

Hayward's an intriguing prospect. I wouldn't mind if the Spurs draft him at #20 and he should fit well under Pop's system, however I have a good feeling he'll be drafted much sooner.

[SenorSpur]

Kids like him, ones that have shooting ability, but are not very athletic, really scare me. The inevitable question always seems to be "who are they going to guard at the next level?". They're too slow to guard 2's and 3's, but they're also not strong enough to guard 4's.

[duncan228]

Hayward, Orton Among Prospects On The Rise (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-haywardortonamongpro)
SportingNews

Back in April, there was some question about whether these underclassmen were making the right decision in putting in their names for Thursday’s NBA draft. But for all five, their spots in the first round are secure and their stock is on the rise.

SF Gordon Hayward, Butler. Some see him as one-dimensional, but some love his ability to do the little things.