Hornets’ Hayward has broken finger on shooting hand

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 12: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the first half of their game against the Toronto Raptors at Spectrum Center on December 12, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images/AFP

WASHINGTON – Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward has a fracture at the base of his right little finger and will miss at least one pre-season game, the NBA team said Wednesday.

The Hornets said Hayward will be listed as day-to-day, indicating the injury on his shooting hand won’t require surgery.

Hayward was hurt in the team’s pre-season loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

A statement from the club described it as an avulsion fracture — in which a small piece of bone attached to a tendon or ligament is pulled loose.

Hayward, who declined a $34.2 million player option with the Boston Celtics last month to become a free agent, was a key acquisition for the Hornets, who signed him to a four-year deal worth a reported $120 million.

Hayward, who missed all but one game of the 2017-18 season with the Celtics after suffering a grisly foot and ankle injury in his season debut, averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season for the Celtics.

The Hornets open the 2020-21 season on December 23 against the Cavaliers in Cleveland.

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