SALT LAKE CITY - Oh the life of an NBA rookie.
One night, Gordon Hayward was asked to guard All-Star Carmelo Anthony and all he got for his troubles was a bunch of fouls and a seat on the bench. The next night, he went against All-Star Kevin Durant and he wound up with a pat on the back.
With veteran forward Andrei Kirilenko out of action with a sprained ankle, the Jazz opted put up Hayward in the starting lineup last Friday against Denver and Saturday vs. Oklahoma City.
"It was a lot more fun tonight than last night," Hayward said Saturday, after Utah's 121-105 loss to the Thunder.
Admittedly, it wasn't fun because the Jazz lost. Hayward said it was more enjoyable only because he was able to stay out of foul trouble while helping to containing the NBA's leading scorer.
Durant scored 21 points but did so on 7-for-17 shooting. He also went 2-for-6 from behind the 3-point line. Indeed, the phenomenal forward did plenty of scoring, but he worked hard to get those points and was held eight points below his season average.
"He's one of the best scorers in the league so I look at it as a challenge and it was fun guarding him," Hayward said.
At 6-foot-9 and 230 pounds, Durant is a matchup nightmare for anyone trying to guard him on the perimeter.
When he decides to rise up and shoot a jumpshot, he has an instant size advantage. When he decides to drive to the basket, his quickness becomes an issue.
"Being so tall and playing like a guard, he's difficult to defend," Hayward said. "You just try to challenge every shot and be physical with him - get into him a little bit and make things difficult."
Durant scored eight points in the final period on 2-for-5 shooting, but it was C.J. Miles and not Hayward who was guarding him.
"I don't think we held (Durant below his scoring average). I'd say if anything he held himself," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "He's a wonderful player and a great competitor."
But Sloan also praised Hayward's effort.
"I thought Gordon, for a young player, tried to play him about as well as he can, fundamentally. " he said.
The contrast between Saturday's loss and Friday's win was not lost on Sloan or Hayward.
Although they Jazz beat the Nuggets in Denver, Anthony scored 31 points even though he went just 7-for-21 from the field.
Hayward really didn't have many chances to guard him, only because it seemed every time he did, he got whistled for a foul.
By the end of the game, Hayward had played only nine minutes and picked up four fouls.
"He had a tough night (Friday) as far as defending," Sloan said. "(But) that's how you get better. You come back and have to play against another great player and get confidence in yourself that you belong."
At 6-foot-8 and 207 pounds, Hayward is also a perimeter player who can be a potential matchup problem. At least he was as a college player. As an NBA rookie, it's a little different.
"Playing on the perimeter is what I'm used to," he said. "The different part is the physicality. You can't really be as physical as you can in college. You have to lay off on that so you don't get in foul trouble."
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