Gordon Hayward returned to the court last season, but he was far from the Gordon Hayward the Boston Celtics signed to a max contract two summers ago.
Hayward by all accounts was a shell of himself in his first full season with the Celtics. The veteran forward averaged 11.5 points per game — his lowest mark since his rookie campaign — and struggled with consistency. The 29-year-old at times showed flashes of his past All-Star self, but he frequently followed up big performances with duds.
That said, Boston surely knew it would have to take it slow with Hayward following his devastating injury in October 2017. Gaining comfortability is paramount for Hayward, and former NBA swingman Matt Barnes believes it will be the key to the star forward putting together a bounce-back season.
“Obviously, I’ve never had an injury that big. I had a meniscus tear when I was with the Lakers and I know from personal experience the biggest thing is coming back and trusting your knee, your ankle, whatever the situation may be,” Barnes said Wednesday on ESPN’s “The Jump.” “Getting over the fact that, you know, he’s most likely he’s going to sprain that same ankle that he broke. I know that’s in the back of his mind: ‘I hope this doesn’t happen.’ I initially said when he came back you’re not going to see the Gordon we’re accustomed to until this upcoming season because it just takes time. It took Paul George and some, and he nearly won the MVP last year. I definitely think Gordon is going to have a big season and the Celtics are going to need it.”
Barnes is correct in saying the Celtics will need Hayward to elevate his game in 2019-20. Hayward seemed to be somewhat lost in the mix last season, as he effectively was rehabbing within a Boston team loaded with high-end talent. In fact, some Celtics players from last season reportedly believe Brad Stevens paid too much mind to giving Hayward minutes.
But this is a new group in Boston, one many believe won’t be able to legitimately contend in the Eastern Conference given its relative star-power deficiency. But if Hayward can return to form, there’s no reason to believe the C’s can’t vault into the mix.
