Former Boston Celtic Gordon Hayward just can’t outrun the injury bug.
Hayward, who now is in his third season with the Charlotte Hornets, has had his career derailed by injuries and he’s set to miss significant time again.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Friday night that Hayward will be sidelined indefinitely due to a fracture in his left shoulder. Charania didn’t indicate how long Hayward will be out for, but added that the 32-year-old is “undergoing further evaluations.”
Hayward already missed eight games this season due to a shoulder contusion, and that was thought to be the reason he wasn’t playing Friday when the Hornets took on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Obviously, the injury is much more severe than anticipated as it’s another extremely tough hit for Hayward, who turned in an All-Star campaign with the Utah Jazz during the 2016-17 season.
Hayward’s incredibly difficult injury luck began just minutes into his tenure with the Celtics in 2017 when he suffered a gruesome leg injury in the season opener. He didn’t play in another game for the rest of that season.
Hayward bounced back to play 72 games in 2018-19 and suited up for 52 contests the next year, but since joining the Hornets, more injuries have followed. An ankle injury limited him last season to 49 games, which is actually the most games he has played with the Hornets. But it doesn’t seem like he’ll clear that mark this year.
Hayward, who was averaging 16.3 points, 4.4 assists and 4.3 rebounds this season, now won’t make a homecoming of sorts when the Hornets visit the Celtics on Monday.
