Jazz's Hayward considers himself among NBA's elite

For a player who's never made an All-Star team or won a single postseason game, Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz sure exudes confidence.

Asked if he views himself as one of the NBA's top seven or eight small forwards, the 25-year-old made it clear he sees his game going well beyond simply being one of the best at his position.

“I don’t look at myself like that,” Hayward said, according to the Deseret News' Jody Genessy. "I look at myself as one of the best in the league. Period.

“You put in the work, put in the preparation, it’s about us being successful as a team now, (help) my team get wins. You look at the top guys at each position and they all help their teams win more than anything - scoring, assists, whatever. I need to do whatever I can to help my team win.”

His team's lack of success shouldn't fall solely on his shoulders. Hayward's numbers have been consistently strong as the Jazz move forward with a youth movement, building around a core of himself, Rudy Gobert, Dante Exum, and Alec Burks.

(Hayward's 2014-15 Statistics)

Utah remains a sexy pick to sneak into the eighth seed in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, but to reach that spot, it's going to take a collective effort from all the team's parts, with Hayward right at the forefront of any potential push.

“I just plan on us being better than we were last year, honestly,” Hayward said. “It’s exciting times around here."

It's easy to overlook Hayward's on-court talent because of the market he plays in and the elite-level players he has to overtake to get a sniff of the All-Star team. A postseason berth after another solid year would do wonders to continue boosting his standing in league circles.

Hayward has the numbers down pat, now all he needs is for the Jazz to win some more games.