Boston Celtics: 3 positive takeaways from the Gordon Hayward Injury
By Riley Culler
Gordon Hayward’s injury was sudden and devastating, but positive things have transpired for the Boston Celtics because of it.
The Boston Celtics may have had the most hype surrounding them entering the 2017-2018 NBA season. Then, a horrific injury that happened in the 1st quarter of the 1st game, changed everything. Whether it was for better or worse has yet to be determined.
The Celtics are a surprising 26-7 this season without Hayward. With Kyrie Irving being the clear leader, and Al Horford mentoring the young guys, Boston fan’s have a lot to be excited about. Especially with such a young team, there is really only room for improvement.
Kyrie Irving wanted to prove he didn’t need LeBron James, with Hayward out, he’s been able to do just that.
If Hayward didn’t get injured, I still think this would be Kyrie Irving’s team. Without Hayward out though, that’s just made things easier on Kyrie taking over as the clear leader. With Kyrie at the helm, the Boston Celtics have exceeded expectations so far this season.
Irving is currently averaging 24.4 points a game, 11th in the NBA. While he was a dominant scorer in Cleveland before LeBron James came, Irving wasn’t able to lead Cleveland to a winning season in three years without James. Now, in Irving’s first season with Boston, he’s led the team to a 26-7 record. (Currently the most wins in the NBA)
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The young bucks are getting valuable minutes.
Jaylen Brown is having a breakout 2nd year in the NBA. With Hayward going down, Brown needed to step up, which he has. We expected improvement from his rookie season, but he’s blown our expectations out of the water.
Brown has improved all aspects of his game. With a better three point and overall shooting percentage. He is also Boston’s second leading scorer, averaging 14.5 points a game. A large jump from his rookie season, where he averaged just 6.6 points a game.
If it weren’t for 76ers point guard Ben Simmons, Jayson Tatum would probably be the front-runner for rookie of the year. Tatum is shooting an NBA best 51.5% from three point range, and has a 50.8% overall shooting percentage. Averaging 13.8 points and 5.7 rebounds a game, the 19-year-old from Duke has already started 33 games in his short NBA tenure.
Boston shouldn’t have any chemistry issues when Hayward returns.
When new players come together, there will always be chemistry issues. Whether it’s minuscule or a serious issue, players have to learn their new teammates tendencies. It’ll take some adjusting when Hayward returns, but being with the team one year already should help tremendously.
https://twitter.com/NBCSCeltics/status/941060234168160256
Hayward going down has allowed other young players to blossom, including guys like Terry Rozier, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.
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These young bucks will only get better, and the minutes they are getting now increases their trade value. Not that they should be traded, but it gives the Boston Celtics even more leverage in the trade market than they already have.