As a frame of reference, among this year’s PER leaders, the Top 20 players were 22.7 and higher, No.
A VORP of 1.2 means the team was 1.2 points better off per 100 possessions with this player on the floor versus a league average player.
He averaged 16.9 minutes per game as a rookie but struggled by posting a PER of just 10.7, well below the league average of 15.
He was rewarded with an All-Star nod in 2016-17 when he put up a career-high PER of 22.2 by averaging 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
Following his All-Star season he broke the hearts of Jazz fans everywhere in 2017 by signing as a free agent with the Boston Celtics.
His season was limited to just 44 of 72 games and he averaged 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists.
To put Hayward’s advanced stats in context, his 17.6 PER was second among all Hornets regular players behind Cody Zeller’s 18.2 and ranked 61st in the league.
The hope from Hornets fans before this season was that by 2019-20 Hayward had fully recovered from his 2017 injury and would elevate his game even further by being the No.
At 31 Hayward isn’t washed up by any means and can have some very good basketball ahead of him, provided he can stay healthy.
If he can push his PER and VORP back closer to his prime years in Utah, he can be the veteran leader who elevates the Hornets back into the playoffs.