Gordon Hayward’s horror run with injury continues

The Hornets confirmed on Wednesday that Gordon Hayward has suffered an avulsion fracture on the fifth finger of his right hand during his side’s preseason exhibition game against the Toronto Raptors.

The star has sustained the injury to his shooting hand, which means recovery might take some time. Hayward will also miss the preseason game against Orlando on Friday and the progress of his recovery will be monitored on a day to day basis.

The horror run of injuries doesn’t seem to stop for Hayward. He hasn’t been able to regain his best form ever since he fractured his tibia and dislocated his ankle in 2017. As a result, Hayward missed 27 off the possible 41 playoff games and a total of 111 out of his 236 career games at Boston.

He also suffered a broken bone in his left hand in November 2019 and then had nerve issues in the left foot, which had been injured previously, in December 2019.

Hayward, who is a former All-Star, joined the Hornets on a four-year, $120 million ($A164m) deal. It was confirmed during the free agency period.

He had already taken a huge risk by passing on the 2020-21 player option with Boston Celtics. It was estimated to be worth $34.2 million, which is around $A45.2m.

Hayward is a veteran of 10 years in the NBA who has appeared in 641 regular-season games, out of which he started in 479. From the 30.8 minutes per game during his career, Haywards averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

He also holds shooting averages of .451 from the field, .366 from three-point range and .823 from the free throw line during his career.

If he is out for an extended period of time, Miles Bridge is likely to come into the starting five.