Add Gordon Hayward to the list of fast healers.
Just a month after he fractured the ring finger on his right hand, the Jazz star small forward is planning to return to action on Sunday at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks, says Tim McMahon of ESPN. It will be his first game of 2016-17 season.
The original timetable for Hayward’s return when he suffered the injury at practice on Oct. 7 was up to six weeks. He pushed to get back in less than a month.Hayward ramped up workouts recently and has been able to smoothly handle the ball with his left hand.
Hayward missed Utah’s first six games, with the Jazz going 3-3 without their go-to guy, including a rare road win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Hayward, 26, led the Jazz with 19.7 points and 3.7 assists per game in 2015-16.