Gordon Hayward’s pre-draft workout in Oklahoma City was at the Thunder’s old practice facility — the converted roller skating rink, now occupied by the OKC Blue, off North Lincoln Blvd. by the Purina plant.

That’s how long Hayward has been around.

“Feels like forever ago,” Hayward said Wednesday, in his first public comments since being dealt from Charlotte to Oklahoma City at the trade deadline.

The 2010 draft pick, now in his 14th season, is far removed from his baby-faced days at Butler, but Wednesday he said he feels like the new kid in school. He just happens to be 33, which makes him prehistoric by Thunder standards. But, as Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said, the team didn’t trade for Hayward to be a chaperone.

Hayward, when healthy, which apparently he is now, is still a good player. A big wing who can pass and shoot, malleable enough to blend into the Thunder’s fluid system.

And defensively? Hayward isn’t the athlete he once was, but he knows how to play.

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“He’s intelligent, he’s experienced, he’s got good size, he’s a really good shot contester,” Daigneault said. “He’s seen all the pictures, he’s been in good defensive systems for a long period of time. He’s been with good defensive teams.

“He knows what’s going on, and we’ll learn him. We try to not make too many assumptions about a player coming in. We’ll throw him into the base, see how he does and play it from there.”

Hayward is now with his fourth franchise, but until now he’d never been traded mid-season. He described the experience as a “whirlwind.”

His wife and four kids remain in Charlotte. The Haywards didn’t want to pull their kids out of school.

“Trying to figure out how they can come see me was a big piece of it,” Hayward said of the trade ramifications. “... My kids are super excited about it… They haven’t been to games in seven weeks. They love going to the games, mostly to watch the dancers and stuff.”

Hayward, who’s worn No. 20 throughout his career, will rep No. 33 in OKC. No. 20 is off limits to Thunder players because Gary Payton’s No. 20 was retired in Seattle.

Hayward seemed unbothered, though.

“I’m 33 years old and Larry Bird is 33, so there you go,” said Hayward, who like Bird hails from the Hoosier State.

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While Hayward’s role is to be determined, it’s safe to assume his days as a 30-minute-per-game player, which he’s been throughout his career, are over.

But as for whether he starts (seems unlikely) or closes (I could see it), which lineups he fits best with and how his health holds up are questions the Thunder has 28 games to answer. Then come the playoffs. So, not a long time, but a third of the season for a player who knows his way around the league.

“That’s a lot of time, not only for integrating him, but also to understand we’ve had a nice season to this point, but it’s not even close to over,” Daigneault said. “We’ve gotta keep our foot on the gas and continue to improve, and that includes everyone. It includes integrating him and Bismack (Biyombo) and it also includes continuing to build and continuing to grow and not resting on anything that we’ve already done.”

As an outsider, Hayward has admired what the Thunder has built.

“Incredible for how young most of the guys are,” Hayward said. “I think the poise that they’ve showed for such young players is unique. Obviously they have some guys, Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) and (Jalen Williams), who are able to take over a game by themselves, and that definitely helps. But everybody seems to do their job.

“They were rolling long before I got here, so I’m not trying to disrupt that,” said Hayward, who got traded from a 13- to 37-win team. “I’m trying to add to it and help us in any way that I can. Certainly the style of play, the ball moves, the players move, you’re reading before the catch and making the right plays.

“That fits right up my alley of what I want to do.”

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Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gordon Hayward set for Thunder debut, feels like 'new kid in school'