Gordon Hayward: 'I have a lot to offer, I wasn't given an opportunity' / News - Basketnews.com

Hayward said he expected to receive more playing time and yet he didn't. He thinks he's a capable player but just wasn't given a chance in OKC.

Credit: Andy Lyons/Getty Images Credit Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Gordon Hayward got traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Oklahoma City Thunder before the deadline this season, and his playing time decreased significantly. The player says he wasn't given a chance.

Gordon Hayward

Team:Oklahoma City ThunderPosition:SFAge:34Height:203 cmWeight:94 kgBirth place:Indianapolis, United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

Hayward went from averaging almost 32 minutes per game in Charlotte and starting all 25 games he played to playing just over 17 minutes and starting in just two games. He averaged just over six minutes per game in the playoffs.

"Obviously, disappointing with how it all worked out. It's not how I thought it would be. Certainly frustrating but it is what it is," Hayward said in his end-of-season interview. "We have a great team with great young players, a great coach, so the future is bright."

Asked to expand on this transfer to the Thunder further, Hayward was honest - he expected to receive more playing time and yet, he didn't get it.

"I think as a player, I have a lot to offer. I just wasn't really given much of an opportunity to prove that. I kind of thought I was going to get that opportunity," he said. "Like I've said, we were rolling when I got here, I've said that before. It's hard to bring somebody in the middle of the season, especially a player like me who's had responsibility, lots of it, and been through a lot."

"The minutes were certainly down and sporadic, obviously, to the point that it was non-existent," Hayward explained. "Just when I was out there, [I'd get] limited touches I'd say."

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