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Jimmy Butler And Gordon Hayward Share Major Similarities, Per Tom Thibodeau

Gordon Hayward is proving his critics wrong this year with his stellar level of play as the Charlotte Hornets’ top scoring option. He’s averaging 22.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on 50.3% shooting from the field over his first 11 games of the season. 

On Monday, Hayward was firing on all cylinders against the New York Knicks. He tallied 34 points on a red-hot 64.7% shooting, en route to a blowout win for the Hornets to stretch their winning streak to four games.

After the game, Hayward not only drew praise from his fans and teammates, but also from Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau. In a post-game interview, Thibodeau was reminded of his former player, Jimmy Butler, when heaping up some praise for the 30-year old Hornets swingman.

Per New York Daily News:

“He reminded me of Jimmy Butler in that way in terms of his decision-making and ability to make other people better. And that goes a long way, I think, in terms of winning.”