Boston Celtics: Player of the Week — Gordon Hayward
After returning from another injury this season, Gordon Hayward could be the x-factor for the Boston Celtics down the stretch this season.
This week’s Hardwood Houdini’s highlighted ‘Player of the Week’ for the Boston Celtics is Gordon Hayward.
At 6-foot-seven, Gordon Hayward was only a three-star recruit coming out of high school in Indiana and didn’t receive many offers from Division One basketball programs. But Hayward would accept a scholarship and spend two seasons at Butler playing under then head coach Brad Stevens.
The two would help lead the Butler Bulldogs to an NCAA Championship game in 2010. Hayward would miss the game-winning buzzer beater from half court and ended up losing to Duke. He finished his two college seasons averaging 14.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game and declared for the NBA Draft.
The small forward was selected ninth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz as a raw but very talented prospect. Through Hayward’s first seven seasons in the NBA, he did something only elite players do. He would impressively increase his production in each season (5.4 points per game to 21.9 points per game) and was an All Star in 2017.
After seven seasons in Utah and only two playoff appearances, Hayward tested his luck in free agency as one of the more high profile names heading into the offseason of 2017. He finished the previous season averaging 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Many teams were interested but the team who stood out to him the most was the Boston Celtics.
Hayward and the C’s would agree to a four-year, $128 million contract.
The young and rising Celtics should have been an intriguing team for any free agent to sign with. Taking a look at the makeup of the C’s at the time: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were already considered to be rising stars in the league, Kyrie Irving was running the point, and Brad Stevens was being considered for Coach of the Year honors.
Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this team?
The uniqueness of the signing is the relationship between Brad Stevens and Hayward. Hayward has trusted Stevens since he was a high school senior being recruited to play for him at Butler. The Boston Celtics and Gordon Hayward seemed like a darn near perfect fit for each other; while the story of Stevens and Hayward continues in the NBA.
Unfortunately Hayward’s first game playing for the Boston Celtics resulted in him suffering a gruesome season ending ankle injury within the first five minutes of the season. Everyone who saw the game had the same immediate reaction, as it appeared his ankle was turned the complete opposite way than it should be. At that moment, it looked like his career was over.
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The next season in 2018 was expectedly slow for Hayward, but through rehabbing and training he was able to contribute for the C’s down the stretch. He would end up playing 72 games primarily off the bench and finish the season averaging 11.5 points per game and would later become a big part of the team’s playoff push.
The unfortunate luck for Hayward seemed to linger in the beginning of the 2019-20 season. After a run in with Semi Ojeleye early on in the season resulted in Hayward breaking his hand and requiring a screw to be put in place. In what looked like an unpromising situation, the resilient Gordon Hayward has made great progressions towards bringing his game back to where it once was at an All Star level.
The 29-year-old is back to playing at a high level and is ranked in the top ten of the first round in fan votes for the Eastern Conference All Star front court with over 75,000 votes. After the journey he’s been on since joining the Celtics its both impressive and deserving for him to be there. Hayward is looking more like his old self this season and averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists along the way.
As one of the veterans and leaders of this team, Hayward understands his role is more than just playing the three or the four spot, but also needing to be a facilitator and play maker; especially when Kemba Walker isn’t playing. Hayward’s calm and cool approach to the game allows him to clearly examine the court with full perception and make a positive impact.
What I’d like to see more of from Hayward is a physical and aggressive presence on defense. Not many people realize this because of the difference in positions, but Gordon Hayward and Robert Williams are only an inch apart in height and it doesn’t even look like it. It’ll be extremely difficult to get a shot up on Hayward when he defends someone and get his arms up over him.
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As a basketball fan it’s great to see Gordon Hayward resurface his career as he has regained his overall strength after injuries. It’s also important to remember the aforementioned contract the C’s gave to him. The future between the two could be somewhat unpredictable, as the max contract included a player-option for the 2020-21 seasons, which puts the ball in Hayward’s court come this upcoming summer.