New-look Boston Celtics no longer the Eastern favorites
By Adam Taylor
Storyline No. 2: Which Gordon Hayward shows up?
Entering his third year with the Boston Celtics, Gordon Hayward is entering a crossroads in his career. Having joined the Celtics in search of a championship, which would be made even sweeter by winning it while playing for his college coach.
Things have not gone to plan so far, it’s hard to fault Hayward for what has transpired this far though — making this season even more crucial for him.
No one could have predicted the injury he sustained. These things happen in the world of professional sports.
Entering training camp last year, Hayward was a year removed from playing competitive basketball. He would need time to recover the strength and stamina necessary to handle the physical aspect of the game. This was further hindered when he suffered a setback just a few weeks out of training camp.
Starting the season totally out of game shape, with the mental scars of the injury still fresh in his mind, it is no surprise he struggled to keep up. Struggling to make any impact and displaying a clear unwillingness to drive into the paint regularly, Hayward was clearly going to need some time.
It wasn’t until the playoffs that he started to display a level of play resembling what you would expect from him. But even then, he was coming off the bench and facing opposing team’s rotation players.
Throughout this summer, the narrative has been that Hayward has been putting in the work required to get back to his best. Coaches have gone on record that he is looking increasingly confident during training sessions and displaying speed of thought when making decisions.
And boy, do the Celtics need him to be that guy. A healthy Hayward firing on all cylinders can be the catalyst for this team.
Gordon Hayward with a reverse layup, a swished three, an alley oop assist and a great move by Cody Zeller during the first 4:30. He looks good, as everyone has said he would.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 6, 2019
With a player option at the end of the year, this could become a Catch-22 scenario for the Celtics. Should Hayward return to All-Star level play, then he may choose to opt out in search of a longer-term deal and the security that comes with it.
Play poorly and he will certainly opt in, leaving the Celtics with a $30 million contract for a player unable to reach the level which earned him the deal in the first place.
Fans of the Celtics would much prefer to roll the dice on All-Star Hayward. He is, after all, a legitimate game-changer when on his game.
Keep an eye on his development as the season progresses. This narrative will span the whole season and parts of next offseason. It will be interesting to see which way this goes.