The Boston Celtics will start the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night versus the Miami Heat, and as they have actually been for many of the playoffs, theyll be without Gordon Hayward. Early on Monday night, the team formally confirmed that, as anticipated, Hayward will not be readily available for Game 1..
Hayward suffered a nasty sprained ankle late in the Celtics Game 2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round series. His initial timeline was roughly 4 weeks after the team detected it as a Grade 3 sprain. He left the bubble for a brief time throughout his rehabilitation, but has actually considering that returned and cleared quarantine..
Considering that returning to the bubble, Hayward has actually continued to increase his activity, and went through a workout after the Celtics practice on Monday. Coach Brad Stevens said that Hayward “looked good,” however is not exactly sure about a precise return date right now. Hayward is expected to return during this series..
The Celtics have played much of the postseason without Hayward, including the entire second-round series versus the safeguarding champion Toronto Raptors, so its clear they can have success without him. That doesnt indicate they wont be eager to have him back..
This was a significant bounce-back season for Hayward, who looked even more explosive and comfy than he did last season in his return from a gruesome ankle injury. He set up 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 helps per game in the routine season, while shooting 50 percent from the field; the only other Celtic to ever install those numbers was Larry Bird..
Unselfish and versatile, it was little surprise that Hayward belonged of the Celtics finest lineups all season long, and when he was on the flooring, they outscored opponents by 8.4 points per 100 ownerships. He can take over playmaking tasks from Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum, and is simply as comfortable spotting up and playing off the ball. When hes on the flooring with the starting lineup, its much more hard for groups to double Walker or Tatum than when Marcus Smart– a much less dependable outside shooter– is out there..
And though hes not elite at the defensive end, hes another big wing protector for Brad Stevens to release, who can change and protect multiple positions. Plus, his return will make the Celtics a deeper team, allowing Smart to go back to his more natural sixth-man role, and indicating less minutes for the similarity Semi Ojeleye and Brad Wannamaker..
In other words, Hayward makes the Celtics much better, and will increase their opportunities of getting to the NBA Finals for the very first time given that 2010..
Hayward suffered a nasty sprained ankle late in the Celtics Game 2 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round series. Since getting back to the bubble, Hayward has continued to increase his activity, and went through a workout after the Celtics practice on Monday. Versatile and unselfish, it was little surprise that Hayward was a part of the Celtics finest lineups all season long, and when he was on the floor, they outscored opponents by 8.4 points per 100 belongings.
