Warriors player calls Gordon Hayward 'a liability on both ends of the court'
The Boston Celtics entered the 2018-19 season as favorites in the East, and how could they not be? A team that took LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Conference Finals was returning two All-Stars from injuries in Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.
Except things have not entirely gone to plan, as the Celtics sit fifth in the East at 30-19. Most notably, Hayward has not been close to his old self as he returned from a fractured left ankle and tibia he suffered minutes into his first game in green.
Hayward has had an up-and-down year, but one of his worst performances came in Saturday’s 115-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors. After Hayward scored just two points on 0-of-5 shooting, an anonymous player on the Warriors did not mince words to Jeff Goodman about the former All-Star.
“I talked to somebody in the Warriors locker room,” Goodman said after the game on CLNS Media Network, “a player who said, ‘Listen, Gordon Hayward is not Gordon Hayward right now. He’s hurting them. He’s a liability on both ends of the court.’ The player also said, ‘Listen, from my standpoint, I think they need to make a move.’”
How bad has Hayward’s season been?
Hayward certainly wasn’t expected to immediately regain his All-Star form from two years ago, and the Celtics didn’t even need it with the emergence of young swingmen Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But it’s still hard not to see the season as a disappointment.
The 28-year-old forward is averaging 10.8 points per game, his lowest in a full season since his rookie year, and shooting a career-worst 31.7 percent from beyond the arc. His .420 field goal percentage is the second-worst of his career, although he is knocking down 84.8 percent of his free throws.
Hayward began the season as a starter but has since moved to the bench as he tries to get acclimated to the full speed of the game. His numbers have ticked up since moving to the second unit, but he’s still struggling on defense, where his 104.1 defensive rating is the third-worst mark of his career.
The sub-standard play is understandable coming off such a significant injury, but it’s hard not to want more because of the expectations that came with the four-year, $128 million contract he signed in June of 2017. And considering the players he has to guard on contenders like the Warriors, the Celtics need to justify every minute they give him.
What moves can the Celtics make?
While the anonymous Warriors player suggested that the Celtics need to make another move, it’s certainly possible that Hayward can improve by the time the playoffs roll around. And after all, Boston only lost to the two-time defending champs by four points. But it could be hard for general manager Danny Ainge to make a big upgrade.
New Orleans Pelicans star forward Anthony Davis just asked for a trade, and the Celtics have often been mentioned as the team with the most to offer, but because of the little-known Rose Rule, the Celtics can’t trade for Davis until Kyrie Irving is on a new deal. That could happen after the season, but it’s unlikely the Celtics would want to unload their top trade chips and lower their chances of landing Davis.
Furthermore, some of the Celtics’ top young players have seen their trade values drop. Brown and Terry Rozier are still valuable players, but the Celtics may also not want to sell low on players they’ve seen as part of their long-term plans.
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