It's a joy to be named an All-Star on the three-goal bench, and Boss Joe has finally found the cornerstone of the team. But just today, in the game with the Raptors, Hayward, who played for more than 6 minutes, was injured. I don't know how many times I saw Hayward injured, the previous two seasons, Hayward was injured and stopped, missed most of the games, let the Hornets' combat effectiveness lose a lot, and was beaten back on the edge of the playoffs, which is a pity! Those days of injury, although injured, did not affect the major injuries of 5 years ago!
Five years ago, in the Cavaliers' game against the Celtics, Hayward also played for a few minutes in the opening, and was hit by the Cavaliers boss during an empty connection, and this injury directly led to the season reimbursement. The final diagnosis showed a 90-degree fracture of Hayward's left ankle, and it seemed at the time that Hayward's injury was very impactful and could threaten his career.
The Big Five, who had originally envisioned themselves and Irving, Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Horford, had a bad luck in the first game of the opening game! Fortunately, in the second season, the effect of the comeback was not satisfactory, playing 72 games, only 18 starts, averaging only 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, far from the last All-Star season in the Jazz! This season's Celtics are only fourth in the East with 49 wins and 33 losses, which makes people sigh, and the first round of the playoffs was swept by the Bucks Gentlemen in the first round of the playoffs at 4-0 pacers!
But now, Hayward has suffered the injury of that year again, although this injury is not as serious as when he was in the Celtics 5 years ago, but the injury is also the left ankle, Trent's entire body strength is pressed on the body of the Sea Gonggong, which directly caused the HaiGonggong to leave the game after 6 minutes, like the last injury! The author feels that this injury is very likely to cause a recurrence of the left ankle that was originally seriously injured. At least, we see for now that Hayward today doesn't have the athleticism of the Jazz era.
This season's HaiGonggong has improved his physical condition compared to his own two seasons in the previous two seasons, and he was previously isolated due to special circumstances. After a six-game truce, The Duke of Hai made a comeback. But this comeback, only played 3 games, let yourself into trouble. In the summer of 2020, Boss Joe gave HaiGonggong a 4-year, 120 million contract, and now there are two years left, and the author feels that although Boss Joe does not feel sorry for the remaining 60 million contracts, Hayward occupies the team's salary space after all. According to the current trading value, it is almost difficult to bring in big-name players, and according to the current combat effectiveness of the Hornets, it is almost a round-level team!
Previously, in the Jazz's best season, the 2016-2017 season, Hayward averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, leading the Jazz to a record of 51 wins and 31 losses to the fifth place in the West, and was selected as an All-Star for the first time in his career. You know, at that time, the West's frontcourt was dreaming of Green, KD, Leonard, Anthony Davis and other people, and he could be selected for the more outstanding Western Conference, and I think Hayward's ability is worthy of praise. Gobert wasn't an All-Star at that time, and Hayward was the boss of the team.
However, in the summer of '17, the Jazz selected Mitchell and sent Hayward to the Celtics in order to train Mitchell. The author feels that for the Jazz, there is no small loss. Hayward's shooting ability, Hayward's organizational ability, Hayward's height and defense, are not comparable to Mitchell. We've seen the Jazz's weaknesses on the front line now, with Bogdanovic and Ingles too slow, R-O'Neal too short, Rudy Guy too old. If Hayward hadn't gone, the Jazz would have had hope of rushing out of the West for the past two years! But now, the big injury 5 years ago, now the same position is injured again, almost reduced to a glass man. The author feels that this big injury may lead to Hayward's career falling off a cliff, after all, 31 years old, not young, the author is also lamenting that HaiGonggong's fate is too bad, very pitiful!