Gordon Hayward previews 2026 NBA playoffs, reflects on time with Thunder

Gordon Hayward is ready to see which NBA team has what it takes to make a run in the playoffs and win a title. On3 recently spoke to the former NBA star, and he was asked which team has the best chance to win the championship this season.

“I think it’s an exciting year because I don’t know if there’s a team that you would pencil in as the big favorite,” Gordon Hayward told On3. “I think there’s three or four teams on each side that could probably come out. I mean, I think the Thunder are really good. I mean, the Spurs are so fun to watch with Victor [Wembanyama], and they’ve had their way with the Thunder, which seems to be one of the only teams that’s been able to do that. “So that’s going to be a battle.

“I don’t think you can count out [Nikola] Jokić and the Nuggets. I mean, as long as he’s on the court, they’re going to be a problem, especially in the playoffs when the game slows down, and you can really play through him, and it becomes more of a half-court game. And then on the East, Detroit, the Knicks, Boston, I mean, all three of them are definitely capable.”

The Thunder enter the playoffs as the defending NBA champions and the top-seeded team in the Western Conference. They are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP who could win it again this season.

Gordon Hayward likes what the Thunder are building

Hayward spent the majority of his career with the Utah Jazz but also played for the Celtics and the Thunder before announcing his retirement at the end of the 2023-24 season. Hayward played in just 33 games for the Thunder in 2024 (including the playoffs), but he knew the team could be a champion.

“They were first in the West the year I was there, before I got there. So I think we lost to Dallas in the second round, but it was either six or seven games,” he said. “It could have gone either way. The games were tight. And it was one of those things where I think it came down to experience more than anything.

“They’re still a young team, but even younger when I was there. And so certainly you saw that they had the ability. They had the system, the players, the coach to do it. And that’s why they’ve been… I mean, I said it when I left, but it’s like they got the foundation to be a dynasty.”

The NBA playoffs begin on Saturday, Apr. 18. 16 teams will battle for a spot in the NBA Finals, which will begin on June 3 and continue until June 19 (if necessary).