Boston Celtics: Pros and cons of Gordon Hayward as sixth man

Con: Complacency

Say Gordon Hayward plays reasonably well in the minutes he gets in this coming playoffs. Say his versatility, both offensively and defensively, opens up new doors for the Boston Celtics to do good things with their other talented, young wings in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

This could actually lead to Hayward becoming a more permanent part of the bench rotation. Of course Tatum needs to be in the starting lineup moving forward. He is immensely talented and finds ways to help the team whenever he is on the floor. A similar argument can be made for Jaylen Brown to start over the Celtics’ heart and soul, Marcus Smart.

With that being said, the Boston Celtics simply did not sign Gordon Hayward to max money to be a sixth man. Sure, Brown and Tatum technically play the same position as him, but the Celtics run an ultra-switchy, highly versatile lineup. There is no reason why Marcus Morris or Aron Baynes should be consistently starting over Hayward in the future.

If he can’t upgrade into a starting role, then Boston’s timeline for success gets a whole lot shorter. While he’s locked up long-term to a huge contract, deals for Brown and Tatum loom in the distance. The Celtics could have their hands tied by a bench player who gets in the way of the team retaining an uber-talented wing in a league where players of their skill and position are at a premium.