Boston Celtics: Gordon Hayward looking to prove his worth in 2019-20

Recently, reports have surfaced that Boston Celtics’ small forward Gordon Hayward finally feels 100% after his gruesome ankle injury suffered on opening day of 2017. Could we finally see the version of the player Beantown believed they added when signing him to a four year, $128 million contract two years ago?

When the Boston Celtics initially landed Gordon Hayward in the summer of 2017, they thought of it as the ideal signing. A 27-year-old small forward in the prime of his career coming off of his first All-Star season, Hayward looked to be the final piece to form Boston’s own version of a big-3 with Al Horford and, soon after, Kyrie Irving in tow.

Fast forward two seasons later and we see Hayward has missed 91 out of a potential164 regular season games, has averaged a mere 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and is the sole survivor the Boston’s talented trio. To say the, now, 29-year-old’s tenure with the organization thus far has been a let down would be quite an understatement.

As we all know, on opening night of the 2017-18 season, Hayward suffered a gruesome left ankle injury that sidelined him for the remainder of his inaugural season in green and white. With such an injury sustained on a play done hundreds of times without fail, the overall recovery period is sure to take longer than the time it would take for just the ankle itself to fully heal.

Hayward proved this to be the case as, during his first season back, it appeared the forward wasn’t “all there” mentally. Frankly, who can blame him after such a traumatic experience?

Now, coming into 2019, it looks as though Beantown’s $128 million man is on a mission to show Boston Celtics fans why their beloved organization signed him in the first place.

This summer, while many of his teammates were relaxing or participating in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, Gordon Hayward has spent his time getting back into his pre-injury offseason routines. As a result, the forward seems to be feeling more confident in his level of play, which should excite fans of the organization.

"“Reps is what gives you confidence, so being able to do things over and over and over and not worry about how my ankle’s feeling, or having to be cautious with it, has been really good, especially for my confidence,” Hayward said. “I think last year was a lot of hoping and not really knowing what was going to happen just because I didn’t have the reps… going into a summer training as hard as I want to, it’s a lot better for my confidence this year and expectations-wise as well.”"

If Hayward can get back to his All-Star caliber form, it could only be seen as a positive — unless you’re ‘Hooligan’ — for a franchise looking to stay atop the Eastern Conference standings. Prior to his injury, the small forward was seen as one of the most promising young wings the NBA had to offer.

During his final year with the Utah Jazz Hayward saw his best season to date, as he put up averages of 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1 steal per game while shooting 47% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.

When healthy, Hayward is one of the best all around players at his position and, even without the Kemba Walker signing, would certainly be enough star power to soften the blow of Kyrie Irving’s departure this summer.

With an entire offseason completely worry free of re-injuring himself, it appears Boston fans may finally be able to see the version of Gordon Hayward they hoped the team landed two seasons ago.