RADIO
Gordon Hayward 2019 Player Outlook
5 years agoBoston Celtics guard/forward Gordon Hayward will start his 10th season in the NBA with a point to prove. He returned to action in 2018-19 after missing the previous year with a broken ankle, but the Indianapolis native looked like a shadow of his former self, scoring only 11.5 points per game with a mediocre 33.3 percent three-point shooting. He was a complete non-factor at times, especially during the first half of the season. However, Hayward improved throughout the year, even posting a nice-looking 55.1 field goal percentage after the All-Star break. Adding to that, he scored 10-plus points in 12 of his last 13 regular-season games (not including a one-minute outing against Atlanta on March 16). The stretch started with a 30-point game against the Warriors. It was always going to be tough to return from such a nasty injury and the fact that Hayward has only 18 starts in 72 games didn't help either. However, with a full season and an offseason now behind him, Hayward should be able to get close to his former level again. There are more touches to go around in Boston as well now following the departure of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, so Hayward could be a nice under-the-radar pickup come draft time.
