Celtics "liability", Gordon Hayward, dispelling that claim
My first question relative to the Unknown Warrior that called Gordon Hayward a liability to his team? Who is that Masked Man? Come forward and let's hear you tell us just how fast you would recover from a foot cocked to the side at a grotesque angle. But with that aside, Gordon looked spry and athletic in last night's win versus the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Hayward's sprint down-court and subsequent jam off the lob from Terry Rozier was great to see. He out-distanced everybody - Terry's lob was perfect - and Gordon put a little bit extra into the jam. It was picture-perfect.
GORDON. HAYWARD. pic.twitter.com/0FEvY4YXQb
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2019
For the game, Gordon played 21 minutes and scored 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point land. He added three rebounds, two assists and two blocks with zero turnovers.
GORDON. HAYWARD. pic.twitter.com/0FEvY4YXQb
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2019
Hayward has been up and down for the first half of the season - some good games and some duds. What he noticeably lacked in the early going were speed and athleticism. He had both back last night.
Anonymous Warrior calls Gordon Hayward a 'liability' for Celtics https://t.co/bzqtxTBlIc
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 27, 2019
Without speculating on Kyrie Irving's future with Boston past February 7th and beyond, we have to remember that Boston is loaded with talent, and Hayward is a large part of that. A future with Gordon, Al Horford, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum isn't a very dim one. With the Madison Square Garden fans' chants for Kyrie still resounding in the arena, here's hoping he remains with the Celtics - but if not, the Celtics still have a crew that can compete with anyone. They showed that last post-season.
Brad Stevens on Gordon Hayward, who scored 14 off the bench: “He played strong. He played physical. He played with force.”
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 2, 2019
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Image via CLNS Media