Utah Jazz alumni: Gordon Hayward may finally be back to his old self

Former Utah Jazz All-Star Gordon Hayward finally looks to be regaining his footing as an elite player two years after his devastating injury.

Just over two years ago, former Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward made his big debut for the Boston Celtics in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. After signing a max deal to move from Salt Lake City to Beantown that summer, it felt like the first step in his journey to help the Cs reclaim their spot as the East’s best squad.

We all know how that one played out — instead of taking it to LeBron James and Co. and making a statement, Hayward fractured his left fibula and dislocated his ankle and endured a grueling rehab and, later, re-acclimation process as his team underachieved.

Fast-forward to this past Tuesday and Hayward was back in Cleveland for an early-season bout with the Cavs. And this time he looked like the elite player the Boston faithful were hoping to get when Celtics GM brought him on-board in 2017.

In 34 minutes of play, Hayward equaled his career high with 39 points on an ultra-efficient 17-of-20 shooting from the floor. He was also a perfect 16-of-16 from two-point range, a feat the league hadn’t seen since Wilt Chamberlain went 18-for-18 in a game against the Baltimore Bullets more than 50 years ago.

Sure, players across the Association get hot and play out of their heads on a nightly basis, but this wasn’t that. The former Jazzman has largely looked like the player that represented Utah and the Western Conference in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game since the 2019-20 campaign tipped off three weeks ago.

Through seven games, he’s putting up 20 points, eight boards and nearly five assists per game with 56-44-84 shooting splits. Those aren’t just reminiscent of Hayward’s Jazz numbers; they’re better. More than that, though, his mobility, athleticism and defensive intensity have undergone a seismic shift compared to what we saw last season.

If he keeps it up, I’d wager we’ll be seeing him in his second All-Star Game this February.

Not only that, but the Celtics may finally make that leap back to the top of the mountain in the East. Following Thursday’s blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets (during which Hayward dropped 20, 10 and six), Boston improved to 6-1 on the year and maintained its current spot atop the conference table.

Whether you’re a fan of how Hayward left the Jazz or not, it’s hard not to feel good about the way he’s returned after a devastating injury, a grueling rehab and all the drama that was last season.

Who knows — if all goes according to plan for the Jazz this season, and Hayward and his squad maintain, we may just see G-Time returning to Utah along with the NBA Finals in June.