The Boston Celtics are gearing up for the return of the season, with Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum taking to the court to get some shots up.
This might just be the first essence of basketball shown without grainy video (hello HORSE Challenge) or in documentary form:
The Boston Celtics release footage of Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum working out at the Auerbach Center today….
…. we're getting a little closer to basketball being back pic.twitter.com/1PVCURaiqt
— John Karalis 🇬🇷 🇺🇦 (@John_Karalis) June 8, 2020
Take the time stamp away from this video and no one would guess these Celtics stars have spent three months away from the game they love.
While many players could have been collecting rust since they last played, Tatum and Hayward seem to be just fine, though they will have another seven-plus weeks to really tune into postseason form.
The Celtics, along with 21 others teams, will take part in the league's restart initiative at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Boston will get a full three weeks of Training Camp 2.0 and eight regular-season games to determine seeding before going into the postseason.
Hayward and Tatum are vital parts to the Celtics' success, not only as starters but as big-time performers.
Tatum is posting a career-best 23.6 points per game with 7.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game — numbers that minted him as a first-time All-Star. He's also shooting a whisker under 40% from deep after steeply regressing in his second season in the league.
Hayward has had a solid bounce-back season after he had a tough time adjusting in his return from a season-ending injury. Averages of 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists fall closer in line with the All-Star forward the Celtics nabbed in the 2017 offseason.
The Celtics are 43-21 and third in the East, three games behind the Toronto Raptors and 9.5 behind the conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks.
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