Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward Named Western Conference Player of the Week
Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward has been recognized for his play during the team’s recent three-game win streak.
There’s been a lot of talk in Jazzland recently about Gordon Hayward potentially being named as a Western Conference All-Star for the first time. His resume for the first half of the season is definitely strong — 22 points, six rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest, multiple 30-point games and, most importantly, a 26-16 record for the Utah Jazz.
However, in a loaded Western Conference, his selection for the All-Star Game is anything but a done deal (even if it ought to be). That said, the Jazz star is doing himself a favor by playing his best basketball right now, in the weeks leading up to the February classic.
Hayward has been so good, in fact, that he just picked up one of the NBA’s weekly awards.
According to an announcement from the league on Monday, Hayward has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, January 9 to Sunday, Jan. 15.
Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan captured honors in the Eastern Conference.
Gordon Hayward is your Western Conference Player of the Week!
GH put up 23p/6r/4a on 73% fg per gm – leading us to a 3-0 record.#NBAVote pic.twitter.com/DhbK9ddX09
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 16, 2017
Hayward was ultra-efficient for the Jazz last week, averaging 23.7 points on 73.5 percent shooting and adding six rebounds and four assists per over the three-game stretch. His play helped the Jazz capture wins over the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons and LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.
It was against Cavs that Hayward had his best performance, scoring 28 points on 10-of-12 shooting and outdueling the best player on the planet in LeBron.
This marks the second time this season a Jazzman has brought home Player of the Week honors. Point-man George Hill received the same recognition in early November.
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Whether or not Hayward (or teammate Rudy Gobert) can claim an All-Star spot remains up in the air. But garnering Player of the Week honors just a few short weeks before the All-Star Game is set to take place certainly does nothing to hinder his chances.
