Boston Celtics: Gordon Hayward signing has not been luck of the Irish

Boston Celtics star Gordon Hayward has certainly not had luck on his side since signing with the team back in 2017.

The Boston Celtics are once again without the services of forward Gordon Hayward after the star suffered a Grade III ankle sprain in the team’s 109-101 Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

It sucks, it really does.

The Celtics, they should be fine for the rest of the first round series, but the depth they had with a healthy, All-Star looking Gordon Hayward in the lineup is something the team is going to have to find a way to make up for.

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Luckily for the team, they have Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker playing at or near the top of their games. They are going to need that to make a deep playoff run in hopes that Hayward has not played his last game for the team in 2020 and perhaps his last game in a green and white uniform.

Unluckily for Celtics star, a broken ankle, a broken hand and now a severe sprain to his other ankle is just unfortunate, especially when he has been looking like the player the team coveted prior to that 2017 NBA season.

In averaging 19 points per game during the NBA restart, Gordon Hayward was showing the burst and energy he had prior to the horrific injury he suffered back in 2017. The mental confidence was there to go along with his physical ability and the playmaking skills he bought to the team.

Again, the Boston Celtics should be fine, but it has to be tough on the mindset of a player who was getting back to his All-Star self.

"“Yeah, really tough for him, obviously tough for us,” Stevens reacted in addressing reporters, as transcribed by NESN. “He’s had a heck of a season and played really well here (in Orlando). But it’s the other ankle, it’s his right ankle this time. Just kind of one of those freak things, you know, it happens in basketball all the time. But feel for him more than anything else and it’s our job to make up for all the great things that he does by committing, and we’ll attempt to do so.”"

While the luck has certainly not been there when it comes to the Gordon Hayward signing, the team was already prepared for Hayward to miss some time in the playoffs. Due to the eventual birth of his son, the Boston Celtics star was preparing to leave the NBA bubble to be with his family.

The injury only hastens that absence.

Who needs to step up for the Boston Celtics without Gordon Hayward

The Boston Celtics will need another player to step up to get through the first and second round of the playoffs.

One player who comes to mind off the bench is Semi Ojeleye.

The 6-foot-6 forward didn’t play a minute in the team’s Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, but he will be needed going forward because of his size and defensive versatility.

In a way, this could help the Boston Celtics in this season. They have enough scoring coming from Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker to take care of Joel Embiid and the 76ers, so having Ojeleye provide more of a defensive presence should benefit the team.

On the offensive side of the court, they will just need even more from Jaylen Brown. Playing at an All-Star level, the fourth-year wing will get even more of a chance to shine without Gordon Hayward in the lineup.

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Others who will need to step up is Marcus Smart and rookie forward Grant Williams, who like Semi Ojeleye, brings defensive energy off the bench. If not for his own ankle sprain, it would be a good time for Boston Celtics top rookie Romeo Langford to step up.

Whoever it is, the team has to find a way to find some luck out of the unlucky injury reoccurrences when it comes to Gordon Hayward.

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