Boston Celtics: Gordon Hayward is playing like the star he was brought in to be

After yet another fantastic outing from Boston Celtics’ small forward Gordon Hayward, little doubt should remain over whether or not he can return to his pre-injury form. So far into the 2019-20 campaign, the 29-year-old seems to be playing like an All-Star once again.

Through their first seven games of the 2019-20 NBA season, the Boston Celtics find themselves holding a record of 6-1 and are in the midst of a six game winning streak. For fans of the organization, there are seemingly countless things to be happy about.

Their marquee free agent addition from the offseason, Kemba Walker, is playing every bit worthy of his lofty 4-year, $221 million pay-day, averaging 26 points and 5.7 rebounds a game while shooting 43% from 3. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have shown impressive signs of improvement in comparison to last year’s campaign, as both find themselves averaging 17+ points a night, with Tatum averaging as many as 21.3.

However, quite possibly the biggest takeaway thus far for Boston — at least, in the Houdini’s mind — is the stupendous play and consistency from their $127 million man, Gordon Hayward.

As we are all aware, Hayward’s tenure in Beantown did not get off the a picture-perfect start. Six minutes into his debut outing with the Boston Celtics, the newly acquired free agent landed awkwardly after an alley-oop attempt, dislocating his left ankle and fracturing his tibia which, in turn, sidelined him for the rest of the 2017-18 campaign.

Coming into year two with the franchise, Hayward was medically cleared to play as early as opening night. With this, fans once again became optimistic about what the 2016-17 All-Star selection could bring to the team that saw their previous campaign end one win shy of reaching the NBA Finals.

However, as we all now know, the 2018-19 Boston Celtics did not live up to the expectations many had for them. Former franchise point guard, Kyrie Irving, contaminated the team’s locker-room with mood swings and dubious “leadership” tactics. Tatum seemingly plateaued in his sophomore season while Brown regressed and, as a result, lost his starting gig. And Hayward, while fully recovered physically, never seemed to be fully recovered mentally from his gruesome injury.

Did he show flashes last season? Sure! Still, his 11.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game averages could certainly be seen as a massive let-down, considering what the team believed they would get from a physically healthy Hayward — averaged 22 points and 5.4 rebounds a game during his final year with the Utah Jazz.

Because of his disappointing — albeit not his fault — first two seasons with the Boston Celtics, coming into 2019-20, many fans expressed doubt over whether the 29-year-old could ever be live up to his max-deal with the league’s winningest franchise. However, seven games into the new season, it appears the answer to this lingering question seems to have more of a positive outlook than one may have previously thought.

Thus far into the 2019-20 campaign, Gordon Hayward has played wonderfully. In 34.2 minutes a game — almost 10 more than last season — the small forward is averaging 20.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game on 57% shooting from the field and an incredible 50% shooting from downtown. He currently has a 3.7 offensive box-plus/minus and has been quite solid on the defensive side of the ball as well.

Prior to the start of the regular season, Hayward published a personal blog entitled Back Like We’ve Never Left. Among many things, he discussed his injury and injury recovery over his first two seasons in Boston, and how it has impacted himself as well as the team. He ended the piece by showing his appreciation to Celtics fans, and stating he has big things planned for himself, and the team, during the 2019-20 campaign.

"I’m ready to be the player I came here to be.That’s my focus. That and raising a banner at the Garden.To our Celtics fans, I want to say thanks for sticking with us. Thanks for sticking with me. I know last year wasn’t the year any of us wanted it to be, but this summer, I’ve worked harder than any summer I’ve ever had.I’m going to be ready to go. We’re going to be ready to go."

So far into the campaign, it appears he is playing every bit up to the player we as fans expected him to be when he came aboard during the summer of 2017.

Now look, obviously it’s early on in the season, as it’s only week three. With 75 games remaining on the schedule, many things can change. However, despite this, it appears Gordon Hayward may finally be able to unleash his full potential while donning green and white.

Currently speaking, Hayward is producing like the All-Star we know he can be. The man is simply playing as if he never left!