Heading into the draft, the big question about Hayward was, "Is he the good shooter we saw during his freshman year, or the below average one from his sophomore season?" Thus far in his NBA career, the answer has been the latter. And that's a problem.
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Hayward projects to be a shooting guard but simply can't play that spot if his shooting doesn't improve. He is 13-of-33 from the field and 1-of-7 from 3, and has taken just two free throws this season. For a guy who carried his mid-major team to the brink of a national title, those numbers are numbing. When I watch him shoot, I don't see a guy locked in on every shot; I see a guy who's just happy to be on an NBA team. With that frame of mind, he won't be for long.
A minor injury to Raja Bell should give Hayward more minutes in the next few games, but he currently has the sixth-worst PER in the entire NBA (3.54).
