LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 07: Gordon Hayward #20 of the Boston Celtics (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images)
Gordon Hayward will miss a month with an ankle injury.
The Boston Celtics were back in the playoffs once again, this time with the services of a healthy, motivated Gordon Hayward to go along with Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown. That master plan for Eastern Conference supremacy lasted four quarters, as Hayward was helped off the court after coming down awkwardly on his ankle in the closing stages of Boston’s Game 1 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Boston’s worst fears were confirmed after The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Hayward will be sidelined for a month due to a serious Grade 3 ankle sprain.
Gordon Hayward was having a tremendous bounce-back season
After leaving the Utah Jazz to reunite with Brad Stevens, his former college coach, in Boston, Hayward infamously fractured his tibia and dislocated his ankle during his first game as a Celtic. While he struggled to get into much of a groove in 2018-19, the 2019-20 campaign had been much kinder to him, as he averaged 17.5 points and a career-high 6.7 rebounds per game. A 50 percent shooter who shoots 38.3 percent from deep, his loss will be felt on both ends of the floor.
The most obvious candidate to take Hayward’s spot in the starting lineup is Marcus Smart, who will likely take over responsibilities at the shooting guard spot while the 6-foot-7 Jaylen Brown moves to Hayward’s wing position. Boston is well-equipped to handle losing a player of his caliber, but this has to be frustrating for Hayward.
The Celtics have to ask themselves if Hayward will ever become the player he showed us that he could be in Utah, as his failing health is a major cause for concern at this point. In both the short- and long-term, this fluke injury late in the fourth quarter of a Game 1 has to sting for Stevens and the Celtics.