It hasn’t been the start to the Celtics’ season many expected.
Boston had sky-high expectations heading into the 2018-19 campaign due to the massive amount of talent it had, but things don’t always go as planned, just ask Gordon Hayward.
Hayward, as you know, had his 2017-18 season cut short just six minutes into his Celtics debut with a gruesome leg/ankle injury that caused him to miss the entire regular season and postseason, with Boston ultimately bringing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
A new season in which Hayward was healthy seemed like a recipe for disaster for the C’s opponents, but it didn’t start off that way, and the forward was demoted to the Boston bench as part of the ensuing changes.
It seemed as if he found a groove in his new role, even dropping a season-high 35 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves in January. But the trend didn’t continue as he had just six points in a lopsided loss to the Miami Heat on Jan. 10, followed by an inbounds pass to Jayson Tatum in the final seconds of a 105-103 loss to the Orlando Magic that clearly upset Kyrie Irving.
Hayward, though, is trying to find the good in a season he’s struggled.
“There have been some low moments,” Hayward told Bleacher Report. “I think there’s definitely doubt that comes after you have a major injury like that, you kind of want it to go right back to the way it was, but that’s not the reality of the situation. “You know it’s going to be a work in progress. I’m happy that I’m out here on the court so I try to find some joy in that.”
While Hayward’s numbers this year could be a concern for Celtics’ fans and maybe even Hayward himself, they should take solace in the fact that he is coming back from a major injury, and this is his first full healthy year with a new team.
