Boston Celtics: 3 reasons fans should still be confident in Cs winning ECF

Gordon Hayward is back

You don’t have to like his $32 million dollar contract, or his lack of actual production in Boston to realize the return of Hayward is huge for the Boston Celtics. Even if you aren’t of fan of “stache Gordon” on the court, let me ask you two questions:

Would you rather have Hayward playing, or Semi Ojeleye? Would you rather see all the Boston Celtics stars play 40+ minutes a night or under 35? Hayward at the bare minimum provides two things: depth, and quality minutes.

With Hayward inserted in the lineup the Boston Celtics don’t have to rely on Romeo Langford and Ojeleye to provide quality minutes. They also don’t have to rely on Kemba Walker playing 40 minutes a game on a bad knee. Think of Hayward as a mid-season buy-out signing for this series. Don’t expect him to come out and drop 30 points, but he is a solid addition to this roster who desperately needed another piece off the bench.

Hayward also could help in the fourth quarter closer role. If Miami does decide to play small-ball late in the game, Boston can now counter with a Walker-Smart-Hayward-Brown-Tatum lineup that could match up with the plethora of forwards Miami throws out. Again, you’re probably not adding a 20-point scorer, but the depth and quality minutes he adds provides tremendous value.