Two weeks ago, I saw the most gruesome injury I’ve ever seen happen on live television.
Within the first five minutes of Gordon Hayward’s career as a Boston Celtic, he awkwardly landed on his left ankle and completely rotated it 90 degrees. Kevin Ware flashbacks happened in an instant.
Right in that moment, I knew the Celtics’ season was about to drastically change.
Hayward was reunited with his former college coach, Brad Stevens. He was going to be playing alongside Kyrie Irving and Al Horford for a franchise with a winning reputation. His presence legitimized Boston’s chances of actually competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
All of that came crashing down in minutes at the Quicken Loans Arena.
I think Hayward’s injury greatly impacts the Eastern Conference, and the rest of the NBA for that matter. What once was a team that had top-spot potential diminished to a vulnerable squad that can easily be exposed.
Odds still have us finishing in second place, but the Washington Wizards are creeping up right behind us. Hayward’s loss impacts us greatly.
So, where do the Celtics go from here?
We (speaking as a fan) turn to Jalen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
Brown returns to the Celtics for his sophomore season. He definitely stepped up last year, defying “rookie odds” and playing a crucial role off the bench. Now, it’s really time for him to show Boston why he deserves to be collecting the minutes Brad Stevens is giving him.
I think a big factor to Brown’s success this season will be communication and chemistry. It’s obvious he’s a natural born scorer, but we need more. Vocalization needs to be there between him and Tatum. A new duo on the court, it can be challenging to find that instant comfort zone, especially for two guys who are incredibly young in this league.
Tatum, the Celtics third pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, has already begun to show that he’s a candidate for Rookie of the Year.
A little wobbly in the first half of his first career game, he exploded in the second half and finished with a double-double against an experienced Cavaliers team.
I think it’s extremely bogus that people have already started to compare him to Larry Bird, but I can see where their hope is coming from. If Tatum keeps up his stature defense and explosiveness to the boards, I see a bright future for him in Boston.
I don’t think leadership will be an issue on this team. Besides aquiring Hayward, we hit the jackpot by landing Kyrie Irving. Boston knows he’s going to push as hard as he can for the rest of the season. Horford also plays a crucial role on the team, truly embodying what is means to play for Boston. If we didn’t have veteran leadership, I woudn’t have the confidence I do in a team that lost a key factor for the entire season.
After the injury, it was clear whom the Celtics were playing for during the continuation of the game. That inspiration is not going to stop, especially in a sports city like Boston. The team doesn’t want to let the fans down, and it doesn’t want to let Hayward down.
Am I confident that the team will actually have a chance at finishing where it was projected with Hayward in the lineup? Not entirely. I can’t expect two kids who have been in the NBA for a second to magically become superstars and compete at Hayward’s level.
Do I believe in them? Of course I do. Anything can happen in Boston. I’ve seen the impossible happen with my own eyes.
It’s just a bummer Hayward’s first season as a Celtic ended before it even started.
