Small forward Gordon Hayward says he is a go for his Hornets debut Wednesday in Cleveland, putting an end to speculation he could miss the game with a broken pinky on his shooting hand.
“I am going to play on Wednesday. I’ve been doing shooting workouts and went through practice the last couple of days,’ Hayward told reporters. “It should be good.”
Hayward was diagnosed with what is officially known as an “avulsion fracture,” suffered Dec. 14 in a preseason game vs. the Raptors. He went through practice both Monday and Tuesday before declaring himself ready.
This is great news for the Hornets, who landed Hayward on a four-year, $120 million deal in free agency. He was actually a sign-and-trade pickup after he opted out of a $34 million season on his contract with the Celtics.
Hayward is expected to be joined in the starting lineup by guards Terry Rozier (Shaker Heights) and Devonte’ Graham, forward P.J. Washington and center Cody Zeller. Also, No. 3 overall pick and point guard LaMelo Ball is expected to receive plenty of minutes in reserve.
“There’s no risk to further damage playing,” Hayward said. “It’s kind of a pain tolerance-type deal. We’re going to make it work.”
