Skip to main content

Gordon Hayward's offensive woes center on finishing at the rim and three-pointers

In an article I wrote for CelticsLife (CelticsLife.com), my readers were quite vociferous about the Celtics players constantly driving to the hoop, only to pass out to the perimeter for a frequent 3-point miss. This comment on the article came from reader, Brian Fleming:

What the hell are they doing ALWAYS passing it out to the perimeter EVERY time one of them drives to the hoop and the defense collapses on them? Take the goddamn shot. Don't pass it. A five footer is a bunny to just about everyone, so pros should always be looking to take that shot or get fouled doing so. The Cs, however, always kick that for a three, which they tend to miss.


Working his way back from a devastating injury, Hayward's defense, passing and rebounding seem solid. His offense is not - not yet. As Fleming, and many others have indicated, Gordon often drives to hoop and chooses to pass it back out to a teammate rather than attempting to finish at the rim. And his shooting from distance definitely needs work


Gordon knows the areas in which he struggles (per MassLive's Tom Westerholm):

Perhaps his worst struggles have been in two of the most important areas: At the rim (55 percent, 28th percentile among wings) and behind the arc (28 percent, 11th percentile). In his last healthy season, Hayward shot 67 percent at the rim and 40 percent from three.

The shots at the rim seem more concerning, because the only way to improve is to keep hammering away at a thing that doesn't feel like it's working. The Celtics have been putting Hayward through workouts with pads, where he tries to finish at the rim while assistant coaches smack him around. He said whenever he gets an opportunity during offensive drills or scrimmages, he dunks to remind himself to be forceful.

"It's like a mental confidence of jumping off that leg and feeling like I've had a couple times where I've gone to the rim and I haven't finished the way I'm used to finishing," Hayward sad. "So then that kind of knocks my confidence down a little bit. And then the next time I go in there, and I bail out and pass it, which I can't do. So it kind of goes back to like I said, I have to be able to go in there and get hit and feel fine doing that. That's just something I need to practice out here, but really I just need to try doing it."

Gordon is not the only Celtic having trouble finishing at the rim. It seems to be a team-wide issue, with at least one exception being Kyrie Irving. He has no fear of driving to the rim with his hesitation, jackhammer dribble and finishing with a variety of moves that drive defenders crazy.

There is little doubt in my mind that Hayward will correct both deficiencies with more games under his belt. The 3-pointers will fall, and the finishes at the rim will come around. We can't forget that his severe left ankle injury came on a lob pass where he was fouled while airborne. His tenuousness results from a possible repeat of that sequence always being on his mind.

Follow Tom at @TomLaneHC, @CelticsSentinel and Facebook

Photo via Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Elm Street Nightmare

 A true-and-suspenseful horror tale of haunting, homicides and the hunt for triple-murderer, Daniel Laplante - as told by the cops that were there By Lt. Thomas Lane (Ret.)  Daniel Laplante - cold, calm, clever, calculating- Photo: YouTube   Elm Street  surfaces on six (6) occasions in the Laplante saga: 1.) He  resided on Elm Street  in Townsend, Massachusetts  2.) He  kidnapped a woman  at gunpoint on  Elm Street, Pepperell , Massachusetts 3.) That kidnapped woman fled to the Gillogly residence on Elm Street after escaping from the armed fugitive, Laplante. 4.) He was arrested and transported to Massachusetts State Police Barracks on Elm Street in Concord . 5.) He was  tried, convicted   and sentenced for the murders at  Superior Court , corner of  Elm Stree t and Gorham Street, Lowell, Massachusetts. 6.) The author, Thomas Lane, lived on Elm Steet, Pepperell, Massachusetts while a police Sgt./Lt. for the town police force. When evil and cleverness reside in the same mind, the st

Did the Celtics Kevin McHale really have a wingspan of 8-feet?

According to many sources, the Celtics Kevin McHale did indeed have an estimated wingspan of 8-feet. One of those sources is Wikipedia, as seen below: Kevin McHale American basketball player DescriptionKevin Edward McHale is an American retired basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and is regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. He was named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Wikipedia Born: December 19, 1957 (age 61 years), Hibbing, MN Wingspan: 8′ 0″ Height: 6′ 10″ Spouse: Lynn McHale (m. 1982) NBA draft: 1980, Boston Celtics (Round: 1 / Pick: 3) Hall of fame induction: 1999 Number: 32 (Boston Celtics / Power forward, Center) Kevin was listed at 6'10" tall when he was drafted with the 3rd pick in the 1980 draft. Red Auerbach, in yet another heist, brought in both McHale and center Robert Parish (via trade) prior to the Celtics' 1980-81 Champion

In defense of Marcus Smart

 Let me make it clear first of all that I am totally against making a threat of any kind that even hints at harming, or certainly killing, another human being. Marcus Smart was wrong in doing so in the Celtics loss to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder , and he deserved the one-game suspension. But to be honest, part of me loved that it occurred. . This type of thing can happen when a player gets to a point "beyond frustration" and is having a bad game. Marcus and his teammates have been under-performing generally - were in the process of losing to a pathetic-and-tanking Thunder team - and Smart was having a bad game . And he let loose verbally at the closest target - an NBA official. Wilt Chamberlain did a similar act versus referee, Earl Strom when Wilt was having his usual tortuous time at the free throw line (per Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith): ''He was in one of those 1-for-13s,'' recalls referee Earl Strom. ''Nothing was getting close. S