NBA: Every team’s biggest question entering 2019-20 season

Boston Celtics: What version of Gordon Hayward are they getting?

What was supposed to be a feel-good bounce-back 2018-19 campaign for Gordon Hayward turned into a nightmare slog to the finish.

In his first season back from that horrific ankle injury, Hayward had more lows than highs when the Boston Celtics were hoping for the latter after a year of rehab.

For all his struggles in averaging just 11.5 points per game, Hayward was ultimately given a pass on what was a disappointing season for the entire Celtics organization.

An entire year away from the game is quite the amount to come back from, requiring the removal of rust that doesn’t come quickly.

Now two years removed from that faithful night, Hayward has spent this summer fine-tuning the skills that once made him an All-Star rather than getting his body right.

His role has certainly changed with the emergence of both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but that doesn’t leave him without opportunities to make an impact.

The current Celtics look far different after free agency, leading plenty to doubt their chances of making noise out east.

The development of Tatum and Brown will determine their ceiling, but a return to form from Hayward could give Boston the edge it thought it was getting in the summer of 2017 to remain atop the conference.