Heading into game two of their first-round series against Philadelphia, the Boston Celtics will be looking for a replacement for Gordon Hayward in the starting-five.
Despite a bit of pessimism by some sports-media publications, the Boston Celtics came into Monday’s exhibition with determination and, in turn, now find themselves up 1-0 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Though there are still at least three more games to be played, confidence amongst Cs fans is through the roof in regard to how this seven-game series could end up playing out.
That said, while their victory on opening night of the postseason is indeed a welcoming sight to see, unfortunately, Boston could not walk away from the outing fully intact.
A typical theme from 2019-20, the injury bug pressed its teeth once again into the skin of the Celtics, this time to his most visited individual, Gordon Hayward.
After finding himself playing quite well throughout the majority of the game — finished with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals –, while fighting for a rebound in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Hayward landed on a teammate’s foot, twisting his right ankle and, in turn, forced him to miss the remaining 3:08 of regulation.
He would leave the locker room on crutches following the game.
With the recent news being Hayward will be out an entire month, we fans are left pondering on future steps. Right now, all we can really do is hope for the best, expect the worst, and be ready for everything in between.
However, this obviously leaves an opening in the starting unit. As for who might be a starting-lineup filler, the Houdini’s got three players who could be of service: