NBA: Ranking all 30 starting small forwards for 2018-19

4. Gordon Hayward, Boston Celtics

Hey basketball gods, can the Boston Celtics get more than five minutes out of Gordon Hayward this season, please? Because it’d be great if we finally got to see what this Eastern contender looks like with him, a healthy Kyrie Irving and mastermind Brad Stevens at the helm.

A gruesome injury robbed the Celtics of Hayward last year, but oddly enough, the silver lining was more minutes for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to grow into the two-way monsters they became. Hayward will hold down one of the starting wing spots, leaving Stevens to decide between Brown and Tatum with the other spot (we gave the starting 2-job to Brown).

In any case, even if Tatum comes off the bench as a super sixth man who unlocks Boston’s small-ball lineups, don’t forget that Hayward is one of the best wings in the game on both ends. It was only a year ago that he posted a career-high 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on efficient shooting splits while doubling as the best player on a team that won a playoff series.