Hornets' Gordon Hayward Has Fracture in Finger Injury; Listed as Day-to-Day

The Charlotte Hornets announced star forward Gordon Hayward suffered an avulsion fracture on the fifth metacarpal of his right hand.  

Hayward is considered day-to-day. The injury came in Monday's 112-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Hayward played 24 minutes, finishing with 14 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Injuries have derailed his career since suffering a gruesome leg injury in his first game with the Boston Celtics in 2017. He returned in 2018-19 but struggled the entire season to get back into a rhythm. As Hayward seemingly was coming into his own after a largely healthy regular season in 2019-20, he suffered a serious ankle injury in the Celtics' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 30-year-old joined the Hornets on a four-year, $120 million contract in November, a deal that largely shocked the basketball world.

His absence from the lineup, even if brief, is a reminder how much risk Charlotte assumed by giving Hayward such a massive deal.