Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward Displays Optimism in Latest Blog

In Gordon Hayward’s latest blog, he gives a great midseason update of the Utah Jazz as well as an optimistic prognosis for the future.

Although the Utah Jazz have hit a bit of a rough patch in the last few weeks, there’s still much to be upbeat about in Jazzland as the team holds a 23-16 record, good for sixth place in the West. That record has come with its share of highs and lows as Utah has battled through injuries, ever-changing rotations and, most recently, tough road schedules.

Nevertheless as we near the midway point of the season, Utah’s lead man Gordon Hayward, who has become a reputed blogger, took to the web to give us fans a season update from his own perspective entitled State of the Jazz.

You can ready his piece in its entirety on his blog via the link in the Tweet below:

From the growth of @rudygobert27 and @daanteee to our new vet leadership, my new blog on the @utahjazz season so far https://t.co/fuBAUtWZNh

— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) January 10, 2017

And while Hayward didn’t mince words in bringing up the struggles he and his team have faced this season, more than anything he was full of praise for his teammates and optimism for what lies ahead for this Jazz team.

In the piece, after beginning with an update on the holiday time he spent with his family, he went right on to discuss the growth of Rudy Gobert and Dante Exum, the positive impact that the newly added vets have had on the team and the outlook for he and his teammates moving forward.

And while he brings up several good points and had a number of memorable quotes in the blog, there’s a few in particular that I wanted to highlight.

First of all, his praise for Rudy was spot on. In describing the growth of the up-and-coming big man, Hayward had the following to say:

“Rudy deserves all the credit in the world for his defense, and it’s been really phenomenal and so beneficial to us. But he’s become a more complete player this year than he had been before. He has really been playing on another level offensively, as far as being a threat when he rolls to the rim. He’s so long and so big, that if he’s able to catch the ball underneath the basket, he’s either scoring it or they’re fouling him. And the way he’s been shooting the ball at the line has turned him into a really good player for us, and gives us another weapon.”

While Hayward often receives most of the credit for being Utah’s best player, there’s no debating that Rudy is quickly becoming a close second, particularly with how well he’s played this year. With that being said, it’s great to see that Hayward is nothing but happy for his teammate and realizes just what a key piece Rudy has become to leading this Jazz team closer to contention.

Nov 29, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) and Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) celebrate after Gobert blocks Houston Rockets shot during the fourth quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Utah Jazz win 120-101. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

Hayward had great things to say about Exum as well:

“Then when you look at Dante—I just have so much respect for the guy. It’s been a difficult journey for him so far in the NBA. He comes over to the U.S., and as a 19-year-old, he’s thrust into the starting lineup about halfway through his rookie season. Then as he’s getting ready for his first real full season, he gets injured and has to miss the whole year. So he comes back and because of the injuries we’ve had, he’s basically forced to start again. That’s tough for anybody.”

“But he’s done a tremendous job. He’s improved significantly since his rookie year and he’s figuring out ways that he can score the basketball, how he can impact the game. And the biggest thing is I think he’s learning through it all and he’s getting better. That’s all you can ask from a 21-year-old point guard.”

Amidst Dante’s struggles and several fan criticisms about his subpar play, it’s great to see Gordon describe the young guard with a more realistic outlook as Exum is only 21 years old and still has plenty of room to grow and develop. He has shown signs of improvement and especially given the fact that he’s returning off a major injury, it’s simply going to take time.

Mar 3, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder talks to guards Dante Exum (11) and Gordon Hayward (20) during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Gordon’s praise of the veteran newcomers, George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw were all spot on as well. I particularly loved this brief quote:

“It starts with the approach they take to the game, just being professional. Boris Diaw, George Hill and Joe Johnson have all had great success in places they’ve been before coming to Utah, and that’s a culture we want to cultivate here.”

The Jazz are surely getting closer to that culture that Gordon Hayward described and while they may be a franchise that is often overlooked by much of the league, as guys like the vets that Hayward mentioned get ingrained in the organization and the team continues to have success, there’s no question that the Jazz are going to start to turn some heads.

Hayward was quick to recognize how vital George Hill has been for the team, despite the few number of games that he’s played. I think there’s no question that Hayward has appreciated and thrived with having a true point guard to help run the offense and serve as a calming presence in high-pressure situations.

Oct 5, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) and forward Gordon Hayward (20) talk mid court during the first half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Phoenix Suns 104-99. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports

He was also optimistic about the leadership of Diaw and Johnson and praised Diaw’s passing and play-making abilities as well as Joe’s ability to come through in the clutch and hit timely shots.

While it was great to hear Gordon’s praise for individual teammates, perhaps the part of his latest blog post that stuck out to me the most was the section that he titled “Building Something Special”. It was great hearing his take on how the team is definitely improving and that he can see the positive direction that they are headed and the success it will bring on the horizon.

But he also knows that this Jazz team still needs a lot of work and, while they have the potential to get there, he mentioned many things that they can still improve upon. After describing those points and the ups and downs in a season, he concluded with my favorite quote of the post:

“When we’ve had those downs, there has been no panic, and I think that’s what’s kept it from kind of snowballing on us. We’ve been in those situations a couple times now this season, and we’ve honestly just played our way out of it. Our mindset has just been, “We’ve got to play harder. We’ve got to compete, bring a little bit more energy.”
And that’s what we do.”

The Jazz have clearly been better in tough situations, as he mentioned, but it’s great to know just how fully aware he is of how important it is for the team to get better. His honest assessment of the team’s situation and determination to improve are bound to be a driving force for the Jazz’s success.

Finally, one of the most encouraging things in my mind about this and other blog posts about the Jazz that Hayward has put together is that it shows that he is bought in. He cares about this team, about his teammates and about his own improvement and performances.

And to be quite honest, I don’t think he would take the time to write a piece like this unless he had the desire and intention to stay with the Jazz long term.

Looming over this season has been the frightening possibility that Gordon Hayward could join another team during the upcoming offseason as an unrestricted free agent, damaging so much of what the Jazz have built over the past few years.

While only Gordon knows exactly what’s going on in his head and what decision he will make, his writing so passionately about this Jazz squad – about how good they can be and how proud he is of all of them – make it seem hard to believe that he’s really considering leaving.

If he was miserable with Utah or considering other options, I truly don’t think he would have the attitude or mindset to be writing such positive things about this team, let alone take the time to actually do it. Of course that’s all just speculation on my part and a few nice words are nowhere close to a guarantee that Hayward is going to stay put this offseason, but at the very least, it’s a positive indication. A lean in the right direction.