Hayward: Just move on

LOS ANGELES — Whether it’s committing a foul or missing a shot, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan doesn’t want rookie swingman Gordon Hayward to get so down on himself when he does.
“I think he’s concerned about getting in foul trouble,” Sloan said. “He’s got to learn to play through that, and push himself a little harder.
“Because if you act like … you know … make those kinds of gestures … it kind of puts you in a trick box.”
Less-than-positive body language, in other words, usually leads to nothing but negative results.
“He’s got to learn to get his nose in there, like everybody else,” said Sloan, whose club opens a stretch with three road exhibitions over four nights with tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Hayward seems to know his mannerisms when flustered don’t exactly exude supreme confidence — especially when his shooting stroke is off.
He’s hit just 26.1 percent from the field (6-for-23) in four games so far this preseason, second-lowest for the Jazz ahead of only reserve point guard Earl Watson’s 16.7 percent, and made only one of his five 3-point attempts.
Six teammates, by way of contrast, are shooting 50 percent or better — topped by big man Al Jefferson’s mostly short-range 57.1 percent.
Hayward was 1-for-5 in Thursday’s home win over Phoenix, and 2-for-8 at Phoenix on Tuesday night.
“The past couple of games the shots haven’t been falling and I think I’ve been getting down on myself,” he said when asked about the body-language issue. “I need to just not worry about that, and move on.”

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