Former NBA forward Matt Barnes thinks Boston Celtics swingman Gordon Hayward “is gonna have a big season” in 2019-20.
Hayward struggled for the Celtics last season, as he was making his way back from that gruesome ankle injury he suffered in 2017-18 against the Cleveland Cavaliers on opening night.
Matt Barnes says Hayward — two years removed from that injury — will start looking like the All-Star player we saw on the Utah Jazz.
“I initially said when he came back, you're not gonna see the Gordon we're accustomed to until this upcoming season because it just takes time,” Barnes said on ESPN's The Jump. “I definitely think Gordon is gonna have a big season and the Celtics are gonna need it.”
Last season, Gordon Hayward averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 83.4 percent from the free-throw line.
The Celtics will need Hayward to play like an All-Star next season since Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are no longer in Boston. Hayward stayed in Boston this summer instead of going to San Diego so he could train with the Celtics' coaching staff.
Nothing is set in stone, but the Celtics' projected starting lineup for next season is Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum and Enes Kanter, although head coach Brad Stevens could start Marcus Smart and bring Hayward off the bench as he did for the majority of last season.
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