Gordon Hayward’s additional aggression on the floor was evident for a while in Orlando.
“He’s been really good here for most of the games in these games,” Boston Celtics manager Brad Stevens said after the team overtook the Orlando Magic in extra time. Stevens states the obvious, especially after Hayward’s 31 points, 9 rebounds and 5 night assists.
“He’s been really good,” Stevens continued, “he’s been in attack mode the whole time. When he’s attacking, we’re better off because he just does a lot of great reads with the ball.”
The first half of his game against the Magic could have been his best minutes as Celtic. His quick change of direction at the baseline overtook Nikola Vucevic for a two-handed slam that raised eyebrows. His sharp thrust between the defense’s teeth for another two-handed slam was worthy of some shouts and screams.
Hayward has finished 26 dunks this season. Of these, 22 arrived in 45 games played before the bubble, an average of .48 per game. So far he has achieved 4 dunks in 6 bubble games, which is 0.67 dunks per game. Throughout the season, 28.5% of Hayward’s shot attempts came within a meter and a half, but in the bubble, that number jumped to 32.5%. Hayward is not only coming more to the edge, but he is also finishing better. He’s hitting 72% of his shots within 1.5 meters during the reboot, up from 67.7%. He hits 65% of his restart layups, but his seasonal average is 57.5%.
“I just tried to go out there and attack maybe a little more tonight,” he said. “Honestly, there were so many opportunities that there weren’t like other games. But I feel good. I feel good.”
His score isn’t the only thing to focus on when he’s aggressive, but the fact that he’s coming to the edge and finishing much better than he’s been all year just adds an extra layer of pressure on the defense. Hayward escalating the situation makes it impossible to oversee Boston’s drive-and-kick game.
“We have some very talented guys across the board,” Jayson Tatum said. “We have so many guys who can do so many different things in an offensive way. So talented and so different in every position. “
Hayward and Tatum played each other extraordinarily well, especially on a possession in which Tatum led, kicked Hayward on the corner, and then replaced on the corner when Hayward attacked a second time.
Both Hayward and Tatum knew that once Hayward was next to his man, Tatum would get an open triple if he kept running on the baseline. Hayward’s aggression attracted three defenders, giving Tatum what equates to a shot he takes while warming up.
Hayward’s additional danger attacking and reaching the edge creates even more gravity and allows his teammates to run more freely. If the rest of the Celtics are just as aggressive as they were against Toronto, they are virtually impossible to defend.
“I think our team is at their best when I’m aggressive and offensive. It just opens the field for everyone else, “Hayward said.” Many times when I attack it doesn’t necessarily end up scoring, but it can be a pass, an extra or something else. But I think getting more paint threats for our team be positive. So I’m just trying to attack. “
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