Gordon Hayward’s 2022-2023 season was indicative of a lot of the Charlotte Hornets’ season. It contained brief periods of success, and some hope for the future, but was largely disappointing. Hayward just completed his 12th NBA season. He is both the most-tenured player on the roster and (now that Mason Plumlee has been traded), the oldest player. Normally a team’s oldest player isn’t a starter. But Hayward was needed for more than sage advice to dole out to a team that has only three players with more than five years of NBA experience.
The Good
Hayward started and played in 50 games this season. Both were personal bests as a part of the Charlotte Hornets franchise. What’s even more impressive, Hayward heads into the offseason healthy for the first time since he suited up in the teal. A healthy off-season would mean a lot for the 33-year-old. He’s heading into the last season of his contract that will pay him $31 million next season. And at this point in his career, he’s likely got one large contract remaining.
The Bad
It’s good that this past season wasn’t the one where he would be entering unrestricted free agency. To put it bluntly, it was one of the least productive of his career. Removing his 2017-18 season which ended five minutes into game one, he had the lowest win shares of his career. He also had the lowest Value Above Replacement Player metric since his rookie year. And his 14.7 points per game is the lowest at any point in his career where he’s averaged at least 31 minutes per game.
His distance shooting was a huge issue. He shot 32.5% from behind the arc on 3.7 attempts per game. To his credit, his percentage of three-point field goals attempted (27.5) was the lowest in his career since he was 23 and in Utah. That shooting slump led to more difficult midrange shots, which (combined with the poor three-point shooting) led to his lowest effective field goal percentage since joining the Hornets.
In short, he was forced to take more contested shots and did so less efficiently. And with his injury history, he was unable to finish at the rim like he could in his prime. He had 16 dunks this season. For perspective, he had 79 dunk attempts in his sole All-Star selection year.
What does this mean for next year?
Hayward will be looking to bounce back from a down year. He’ll be in the final year of his contract, and any competitor would. And, despite his relatively advanced age, his healthy off-season may mean that he will return to something closer to the Hayward that was signed to Charlotte three years ago.
That might require Hayward to have a reduced role next season. Hayward was asked to do a lot and eat up a lot of minutes. And to his credit, the team was better with him on the court than with him off it. The offensive rating was a point better when he was on the court, and the defensive rating was over three points better. But with JT Thor improving, Svi Mykhailiuk possibly sticking around, and whatever additions the team makes in the off-season, Hayward may be tasked with doing less. And, in turn, that may allow him to play better.
The Hornets would love to see Hayward play better. Not just because a good showing could mean more wins for the ball club, but because Hayward could become a valuable trade asset with his money coming off the books. It seems unlikely Hayward would return after next year. If he has a renaissance year, it could mean the Hornets might not walk away empty-handed.