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Phoenix • In the hour before the Utah Jazz faced the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, Jazz forward Gordon Hayward garnered what was close to the ultimate praise from Suns coach Earl Watson.
He said Hayward should be an All-Star.
"If Gordon isn't an All-Star, something is wrong," is how Watson put it.
Hayward next month could indeed bring home the first All-Star selection of his career. For now, he'll have to settle on being the Western Conference Player of the Week, an award he won on Monday afternoon.
Hayward averaged 23.7 points a night, supplementing that with 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in leading the Jazz to a 3-0 record last week. He shot almost 74 percent from the field in the process. The Jazz headed into Monday night with a 26-16 record, having won four of their last five games.
"What we've seen from Gordon is why he was recognized this week," Utah coach Quin Snyder said. "I think his consistency and his efficiency offensively have really improved. Passing the ball, rebounding, he's become a better defender, that's kind of the unspoken thing in all of this. Sometimes, voting and recognition, you can't use that only to validate what a player is doing. But Gordon is very deserving of this award."
By almost every metric, Hayward is having his best season as a pro. He's averaging 22.1 points a night, a career-high. He's grabbing almost six rebounds a night, and averaging 3.6 assists a night, all numbers that tower above his career averages.
Hayward is shooting 53 percent from the field in his last 10 games, and is shooting almost 55 percent from the field in the month of January.
"I'm very pleased that his play was recognized," Snyder said. "I think people, coaches and players, around the league really respect Gordon. He's not one to seek out public approval. He just kind of does his thing. When a player goes about his craft like that, it feels good to see him recognized."
Honoring a dream
To recognize Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday on Monday, Jazz players wore T-shirts with the hashtag #Ihaveadream on the back.
"He's an inspiration for all of us," Jazz center Rudy Gobert said. He's an inspiration for all of us, and he's a big part of the fight for equality. It's great to have this day and to see him get that recognition."
Ingles replaces Hood in starting lineup
Snyder put Joe Ingles into the starting lineup with shooting guard Rodney Hood not available due to a bone contusion in his knee he suffered in Saturday night's game.
Joe Johnson, after missing Saturday's game due to rest, was back in the rotation on Monday night.
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