Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens says small forward Gordon Hayward no longer has a firm minutes restriction.
Hayward suffered a fractured left ankle on opening night last season. He has been playing around 25 minutes a game so far this year. The Celtics take on the Chicago Bulls Wednesday night.
#Celtics Brad Stevens said Gordon Hayward no longer has a firm minute restriction. Said Hayward probably won't play 35, but rarely does anyone play 35 barring OT etc anyway.
— Scott Souza (@Scott_Souza) November 14, 2018
As expected, Gordon Hayward is off to a poor start this season. After missing a year of basketball, it's going to take some time for the All-Star swingman to get his rhythm and timing back.
In the 12 games he has played in, Hayward is averaging 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 39.6 percent from the field, 31.9 percent from beyond the arc and 76.2 percent from the free-throw line. The Celtics have an offensive rating of 105.2 when Hayward is on the court, according to Basketball-Reference.com. That number jumps up to 111.4 when Hayward is off the floor.
Gordon Hayward recently said he would have no problem if Brad Stevens wanted to bring him off the bench. The Celtics, who were the preseason favorite to win the Eastern Conference, are just 7-6 on the season and averaging only 105.2 points per game. That's 25th in the NBA.
Let's give Gordon Hayward some more time before we start criticizing his play. There's still a lot of games left to be played.
Follow Us
Subscribe