On Wednesday, Gordon Hayward provided the NBA with what was perhaps the greatest highlight of the young season when he connected on a last-second, buzzer-beating jump shot to defeat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. For a Utah Jazz team in the midst of a difficult rebuild, it was undoubtedly the club’s best moment in recent memory and one that hearkens back to Sundiata Gaines‘ game-winning shot in a similar situation versus LeBron and the Cavs five years ago.
It was also Hayward’s best moment and one that should serve notice to the league that, despite a perception among casual fans and most of the national media to the contrary, he is one of the elite players in the league.
Make no mistake about it: Hayward was firing on all cylinders on Wednesday, and one great game does not a superstar make. That said, as good as he was in so many aspects of the game last night, to quote the Barenaked Ladies, “it’s all been done before.”
It’s been under the radar of some, but even before his recent heroics, Hayward’s versatility had put him in elite company. Last season, he was one of just five players to average at least 15 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 5.0 APG. The other four? Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Michael Carter-Williams and James. The season is young, but in Quin Snyder‘s new system, Hayward has done nothing but build on those numbers that had put him in elite statistical company.
Before the year, many sought to compare Hayward to another player who signed a large contract in the offseason — Chandler Parsons. For the most part, prognosticators saw both players as complementary pieces that would never be able to earn the salaries they were being paid. Can we please cease with this ridiculous assertion?
How many times has Parsons locked down a future Hall-of-Famer with the game on the line? How many times has Parsons chased down the most athletic player in the league and single-handedly stopped a fast break? Does Parsons see the floor like a high-level point guard? Hayward did all of this against the Cavs and has been doing it for years. Parsons may or may not be what perception says he is, but Hayward is absolutely not.
He may not be one of the game’s greatest scorers. He’s probably not as marketable as guys like James and Durant. But like it or not, Hayward’s myriad of talents on both sides of the floor put him on a level that few in professional basketball could ever hope to reach. The 2014-15 season has only just begun, but if he continues to play to the level of his abilities, a lot of people should start thinking about the different ways in which one can prepare their helping of crow.
Ryan Aston covers the Utah Jazz for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @MrMaryKateOlsen or add him to your network on Google.
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