Why Gordon Hayward should stay with the Utah Jazz
It is his team
February 26th the Jazz were playing one of their best games all season. With a full roster, they were taking it to the Washington Wizards in DC, where the Wizards had been nearly unbeatable all season. Then Bradley Beal heated up and the Jazz lead that had been 20 was down to 6 with 2:20 to play. Out the time out Quin Snyder turned to his all-star. On back to back set plays the Jazz got the ball to Gordon Hayward for chest banging, in your face, I am bad bad man jumpers that clinched the win, gave Hayward 30 points and proved Hayward was the best player on the floor.
The Utah Jazz are his team.
That is basketball. Your team needs a bucket to quell a run. Your coach turns to you. You deliver, the opponent calls timeout because their night is done and you go back to the bench with fist to your chest and shoulder bumps with your teammates.
It is Gordon’s team.
It is his style
Quin Snyder compared the Jazz to a harmonious Thanksgiving dinner. When the Jazz play basketball the turkey gets passed, then the stuffing, then the yams and each person gets a serving. In some houses one man takes the turkey and you wait to get your turn when he has had enough. Or it’s a few rude people that take all the marshmallows on the yams and leave you with just the yams. That is not Gordon Hayward and that is not the Utah Jazz.
The brilliance of Gordon Hayward is he never high jacks the game. He may get his 30 points, he may take 20 plus shots (only 12 times all season contrasting someone who did it 36 times last year) and it is always in the flow of the game. He plays with the betterment of his teammates in mind. He feels the game. He looks for players that are struggling. He is the essence of a star with a team approach. Gordon passes the turkey and yams even before he has had his share.
That is the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are that way because their all-star and their coach believe in the same type of basketball.
It is Gordon’s style.
It is his locker room
The Jazz locker room has a uniqueness to it. There is a comradery, a decency and a collectiveness that is Gordon Hayward. The Utah Jazz locker room has been built with players that match their all-star. There is a combination of youthfulness, seriousness and togetherness.
The Jazz have acquired veterans and drafted youngsters that match the makeup of Gordon and the team. It is obvious in every interaction the Jazz have with flight attendants who regularly say the Jazz are their favorite team to fly. It is obvious when the conversations are about video games not nightly activities.
It is Gordon’s locker room.
He has his tag team partner
Rudy Gobert is the best center in the NBA. Gordon Hayward is meeting with Boston and Miami in the next few days. There is not a single player on either roster who the Jazz would trade for Rudy Gobert. Gordon Hayward will be the best player on whatever team he chooses and Rudy Gobert will be 1a of all the teams being mentioned.
Moreover, they complement each other perfectly. Rudy is the noise. Hayward is the action. Hayward is the offense. Rudy is the defense. They both have an unwavering desire to be great and are unafraid of putting the work into being great. They aren’t driven by the sideshows. They are driven by success.
The common culture of these two stars will be the cornerstone of the Utah Jazz for years to follow and it allows different types of players to emigrate into the culture with the expectations being crystal clear.
It is Gordon’s culture.
It his legacy
In Brownsburg, Indiana a young kid in the late 90s shot hoops in the backyard with his #31 Reggie Miller jersey on his back. The only thing that changed when that boy went from an adolescent to a teenager to a high schooler was the size of the jersey. Forever, it was #31 Reggie Miller.
Gordon Hayward is G-Time because Reggie Miller was Miller Time. Gordon grew up a Reggie Miller fan and he felt firsthand the connection of a player representing a generation of fans. Now it is my daughter and your child who own the Gordon Hayward #20 jersey. My daughter is already on her third and if Gordon stays she will own only one Jazz jersey for her childhood.
It his chance to have a unique legacy that happens rarely in modern professional sports.
It is Gordon’s legacy.
It his city
The Stayward billboards are really special. A fan base collectively funds billboards for their favorite player to stay in their city. It is unheard of in a twitter angry, bitter fan world. It may be collegiate and to that I say you bet it is. Who doesn’t love things that are collegiate.
There is a unique passion to basketball in Utah. It is a 12-month passion. We don’t wait for our NFL team or our MLB team to get knocked out before we turn our attention to basketball. From summer league to training camp to opening day to the playoffs and the draft the Utah Jazz are top of mind and their players are adored in a manner unequalled in other markets.
That environment is there for Gordon.
It is his team, his locker room, his style, his legacy and if he wants it, his city forever. That is why Gordon Hayward should stay with the Utah Jazz.
