What Gordon Hayward said about the foot injury that ended his season with Hornets
The day after the Hornets lost their play-in game to the Atlanta Hawks 132-103, Gordon Hayward rolled into the media room at Spectrum Center on a scooter, with his foot elevated and in a cast. As he tried to get on a stage where the microphone was for his press conference, he struggled.
He placed his left knee on the stage, pushed himself up on one foot and hobbled to his seat.
Hayward didn’t play in the play-in game in Atlanta. He was forced to watch from his home in Charlotte, unable to travel because of a bone fracture in his left foot.
The mood was somber. Hayward looked helpless, and as he spoke, it felt like he was trying to search for answers as to why this keeps happening. He worked all summer to come back from an injury last season.
But it was one thing after another this year. He got COVID twice and missed games. He suffered a serious ankle sprain in a game against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 8, causing him to miss the next two months.
He came back for one game April 2 but started experiencing soreness in the same foot, later finding out he had a bone fracture caused by the sprain.
“It sucks that you have to watch the game and not be able to be out there and contribute,” Hayward said. “You play basketball and put in all that work to be in those moments.”
Injuries have plagued Hayward ever since he signed a four-year, $120 million contract with the Hornets in 2020. He missed 28 games last season, and 34 games this year.
When he’s healthy and playing, Charlotte is more efficient. He’s one of the Hornets’ best players. He averaged 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 49 games this season.
When he’s not healthy, results like what happened Wednesday night occur.
“Gordon is a great player, a knock-down shooter,” guard LaMelo Ball said. “So we missed his shooting. He’s 6-8, so his length, size. We missed a lot of stuff. I feel like it’s self-explanatory.”
Against the Hawks, the Hornets went through stretches without scoring. They struggled from the 3-point line, going 13 of 41, shot 37.8% from the floor overall and often failed to get back on defense in transition. Their frustrations got the best of them. They let a close game in the first half slip away, and balloon into a 29-point loss.
Charlotte looked like an inexperienced team, not ready for the moment Wednesday.
And the only thing Hayward could do was watch as the Hornets lost another play-in game for the second consecutive season.
Hornets coach James Borrego said they missed Hayward’s veteran experience Wednesday night. He called Hayward a “stabilizing force,” for them — a player who has been in playoff moments.
“He’s probably our most established player,” Borrego said. “Our young group are just finding that out for the first time. This is all new territory for them.”
But he contended that it wasn’t Hayward’s fault he got hurt.
“He didn’t try to get injured,” Borrego said. “And he’s tried to get back as soon as he could. He pushed the limits there trying to get back. But for us to be at 43 wins, without Gordon for 33, it speaks to the character of that locker room.”
Hayward has two more years remaining on his four-year contract. He said he’ll continue to work hard and get back. He sees a bright future for a young Hornets team that saw its win total improve by 10 from 2020-21.
But this year was tough, he admitted.
“It is what it is, I’ll be completely fine after this, but it’s hard”, Hayward said.
When his press conference ended, Hayward hobbled to the end of the stage and plopped down before grabbing his scooter and riding out of the door.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 3:23 PM.
