Chad Feldheimer
Well-Known Member
guard & dominate both Bynum and Gasol single-handedly and be the 2nd coming of Hornacek from 3 point land. Then the Jazz fans would say he is worth half the mid-level exception.
Duplicate what Wesley Matthews did in his rookie season. Hit open shots, make hustle plays, defend...about 9-10 ppg, but rebound and pass it better than Matthews.
The problem - he doesn't shoot it, put it in floor or score as well as Matthews. And Matthews is a better athlete so doing that stuff I mentioned above is easier for him than it will be Hayward.
I'm not putting numbers as a qualifier, just earning Sloan's confidence. That's all he has to do. This season.
Ooh...good question.
I imagine the popular response would he's a bust if the Jazz don't go to the NBA finals.
I think if Jazz fans are going to calm down about the Hayward pick, it has more to do with what KOC does from here and less about what Hayward does. I think most Jazz fans like Hayward and see potential in his game, it's just that they are too upset about the passing over of a few bigs to truley see what Hayward can bring to the table.
If KOC spends the rest of the offseason suprising us and making some moves via trade/free agency and somehow we start the season with a couple of bigs not currently on the roster, I think Hayward will be in a position to make Jazz fans very happy. In watching videos on Hayward, I think he's going to fill the "Hornacek" role in the Jazz offense, and I'm not talking about the 3 point shooting. Horny was a MASTER at moving without the ball, coming off of those little curl screens Utah likes to set and hitting those floaters in the lane after coming off the pick. Thing is, I think Hayward can be even more deadly coming off the curl because unlike Horny, I don't think he'll have to settle for floaters. The kid will be able to take it to the rim, which means higher % shots and more trips to the free throw line.
The more I've watched on Hayward, has led me to this conclusion: It's a shame the Jazz didn't already have a strong front line in place when drafting him so us Jazz fans could have given the pick the excitement it deserved. Seriously, if you watch this kid without bias, it's clear to see that he was born to play basketball for the Utah Jazz/Jerry Sloan.
To be considered a decent pick, he simply needs to be part of the rotation by the end of the year.I'm not putting numbers as a qualifier, just earning Sloan's confidence. That's all he has to do. This season.