Utah Jazz at Washington Wizards: Keys to the Game

Key Performer – Gordon Hayward

Although it will likely be tougher for Washington to do so against a staunch defense like that of the Utah Jazz, the Wizards are known for putting up a lot of points. At seventh in the league at 108.1 points per game, there’s no question that this is a team that can score.

Therefore, while Utah’s defense will more than likely help keep Washington below that average, there’s no doubting that the Jazz will need to be clicking on offense and put up a good amount of points themselves in order to keep stride with the Wizards. And for them to do that, they’ll need Gordon Hayward to be firing on all cylinders.

Much like George Hill, putting the Clippers game to one side, Hayward has been phenomenal of late. He seems confident after his All-Star selection and put up 29 points last night which included some savage dunks. Hayward has four 30-point games over the course of his last eight contests and has been absolutely phenomenal for the Jazz.

He’ll have a tough defender on him in Otto Porter Jr., but regardless of who has covered Hayward, he has seemingly found a way to thrive game in and game out recently. Therefore, as the Jazz look for someone to shoulder their scoring load and provide an effective offensive punch, I expect none other than their go-to guy Gordon Hayward to be the key performer in tomorrow’s contest.