It is almost scary to think how strong the Boston Celtics will be in 2018-19. Celtics managed to win the top seed and get to the Eastern Conference finals last season without a max-type player in Gordon Hayward. Hayward went down with an ankle injury in a season opener last year and hasn’t played since. But now, the 28-year-old seems like he is ready to get back to his 20+ points a game version.
Although it was a long journey, Gordon Hayward put on his Celtics’ No.20 jersey and told reporters that he is fully fit once again. Another encouraging news is that he played 5-on-5 with his teammates in preparation for the upcoming training camp.
“I would say I’m basically 100 percent,” – said Hayward. “There are certain things that I think are going to take time — even if I was 100 percent healthy, I’m not 100 percent as far as basketball-wise, just because I haven’t played in a year. I’m trying to figure those things out. The last step for me as far as from a physical standpoint is a little explosion, that little last juice bounce that you get. So that’s going to take me the longest time. But like I said, for the most part, I feel very good.”
When asked about the timeline on his return to competitive basketball, Hayward said that he is ready to go now. He expects to take part in Celtics’ preseason games and to play without restrictions in the season opener.
Gordon Hayward spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the Utah Jazz, where he developed from a back-up and a role player into an All-Star. After his contract with the Jazz expired following the 2016-17 season, Hayward decided to come to Boston and sign a four-year, $128 million contract. In his last full NBA season, Hayward averaged 21.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Gordon Hayward putting on the No. 20 jersey again … pic.twitter.com/XBHbIo43Lz
— Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) September 13, 2018
