Boston Celtics: 2 players primed to lose minutes with Hayward back

With Gordon Hayward now back for the Boston Celtics, some players could wind up losing minutes to help reintegrate him into the rotation.

Saturday was a happy day for Boston Celtics fans, as their favorite NBA franchise attained their first win of this year’s Eastern Conference Finals and, now, head into Wednesday’s game with a 1-2 record instead of the much less-desirable 0-3.

With this, hope is still very much alive that the shamrocks can claw their way back in this series and potentially advance to their first NBA Finals in a decade.

Not only was game three their first win of the Conference Finals, but it was also Gordon Hayward‘s first form of in-game action since the 3:33 mark of the Quarterfinals’ game one, as he has been sidelined due to a grade three ankle sprain ever since.

His return to the hardwood was both quiet and impactful all at once. Though he may not have thrown down any highlight jams, it seemed as though all 30 minutes in which he logged on the court were vital to the team’s success.

Finishing the night with six points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and one block Hayward’s return gave Boston that extra oomph needed to come away victorious and put themselves right back into this series.

Moving forward, it’s likely that the forward will receive more playing time than he did this past weekend, as it was announced that he was on somewhat of a minutes restriction in his first game back.

Because of this, there are going to be adjustments made to the rotation’s minutes distribution, meaning some players could be in line for reduced playing time.

The Houdini is here to pinpoint the C’s two most likely candidates: