Hornets forward Gordon Hayward has been an NBA All-Star once before and through 20 appearances this season, his numbers are nearly identical or in some cases, surpassing his marks from that breakout 2016-17 campaign with Utah.
Through Monday night’s overtime road win against the Heat, Hayward ranks 11th in the Eastern Conference in scoring (career-high 23.0 points), while shooting personal bests from the field (50.3%), three-point range (43.0% for a career-high 2.3 3PM per game) and free-throw line (85.6%). He’s also averaging 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals, while giving the Hornets a reliable go-to scoring option from virtually anywhere on the court this season.