Jackie Mac on Hayward

[Phantom255x]

It's without a doubt been a tough season for Hayward not just on the court, but mentally. I think this puts it into greater perspective. He likely won't get back to his 100% form (close to all-star level) until next season, but that's still fine. I'd still like to see the team give him the keys to help lead the 2nd unit though. Maybe he could come off the bench and give us about 11-14 PPG. If Rozier and/or Morris don't like it, then tell them to simply do better, period. I agree with @LarBrd33, I think CBS needs to give Hayward more plays and allow him a bit more freedom. He definitely should be getting close to as many shots as Morris seemingly gets (10-12). I think part of the issue is that Rozier essentially leads the second unit and at times he's erratic and takes bone-headed shots, which in turn affects the whole 2nd unit, including Hayward. This may lead to Hayward being hesitant at times and less confident on when to shoot.

[gouki88]

I dont buy the atrophied muscles at all.

e broke his leg, not his back and neck, so I do not see any reason why he would have his back messed up from said atrophied muscles.

There were tonnes of videos o him shooting from chairs, in a cast etc.

Dude.  Please tell me you have a better understanding of how muscles work than this.

I think he’s joking...? I mean, I hope to God he’s joking.

I almost guarantee he isn’t.

Man, Gordy has had it rough this season

[philr13]

None of this stuff about Hayward is surprising. He has clearly been in a rehab year.

The question now is whether or not his minutes are justified for the remainder of the season and the playoffs. If he can't go full tilt, it may be time to reduce his minutes and get the players ready who are going to be relied on in the playoffs. It might be time to give Ojeleye some minutes to make sure he's ready to rumble.

Of course, if they feel that Hayward's most recent slump is because of the turned ankle, and he can be a contributer in the playoffs, by all means play him. He did seem to be making big strides before he turned his ankle.

[knuckleballer]

Hayward's agent on his recovery:

"I don't think people understand the severity of the injury, the second surgery, missing an entire season and a summer where you can't really go work on your game," Bartelstein said. "These are things you can't place the proper value on, so he's trying to do this in the course of the season. That's a difficult thing to do, because you don't even really practice much during the course of the season, the games come so fast."

"My guess is he doesn't get his game all the way back where we're accustomed to seeing it until next year. He's going to need a summer to get back in the gym and get back in the laboratory and the weight room and build on everything he did last year. But there's not a doubt in my mind. He'll be an All-Star in this league many, many times over."

https://weei.radio.com/blogs/john-tomase/gordon-hayward-agent-says-boston-celtics-forward-will-be-all-star-again-after

[Rhyso]

It's without a doubt been a tough season for Hayward not just on the court, but mentally. I think this puts it into greater perspective. He likely won't get back to his 100% form (close to all-star level) until next season, but that's still fine. I'd still like to see the team give him the keys to help lead the 2nd unit though. Maybe he could come off the bench and give us about 11-14 PPG. If Rozier and/or Morris don't like it, then tell them to simply do better, period. I agree with @LarBrd33, I think CBS needs to give Hayward more plays and allow him a bit more freedom. He definitely should be getting close to as many shots as Morris seemingly gets (10-12). I think part of the issue is that Rozier essentially leads the second unit and at times he's erratic and takes bone-headed shots, which in turn affects the whole 2nd unit, including Hayward. This may lead to Hayward being hesitant at times and less confident on when to shoot.

This is the thing. Rozier and Morris are in contract years, and players just don't want to accept a lesser role in this situation. And Brad just doesn't have the coaching chops to bench one of them while squashing locker room issues, that's why there are coaches like Doc Rivers.

[ozgod]

I dont buy the atrophied muscles at all.

e broke his leg, not his back and neck, so I do not see any reason why he would have his back messed up from said atrophied muscles.

There were tonnes of videos o him shooting from chairs, in a cast etc.

Dude.  Please tell me you have a better understanding of how muscles work than this.

I think he’s joking...? I mean, I hope to God he’s joking.

I almost guarantee he isn’t.

Man, Gordy has had it rough this season

I found that comment funny, anatomy 101

I posted this elsewhere...I've decided the only way I can watch Gordon's play this year and not get frustrated is to not think about how much he is getting paid...I just look at what he does on the court and by adopting that mentality I can actually see that he does a lot of good things, because he's a smart player. He boxes out, he looks for the player with the best chance to make a shot, he's selfless, he moves the ball which contributes to other people scoring, he rebounds, he hustles...the only thing he doesn't do consistently is score the basketball. Occasionally he does but he's very inconsistent and a lot of it is to do with the fact that they don't run sets for him, run pick and roll for him, so he has to look at his own shot to score. He wasn't looking for his shot against Washington so he only had 2 shot attempts and was out of sync the whole game. Against Houston he was looking for his shot but his consistency just wasn't there.

But...if I disregard the fact that he's getting paid a max, I can see that he actually adds value on the court. That's how I've been watching him, he's clearly not going to play at what people think a "max" player should be this season, and he doesn't have that role either. He's basically playing the part of a role player but in that sense he's playing that role decently.

But for most people they will never be able to disassociate Hayward's play from his contract, and so unless he's producing 20-5-5 (in the 25 mins he plays) he's a fail. I'm pretty sure that's not how the team thinks of him these days though. I'm sure they love playing with him because he's so selfless and such a good passer. His per-36 is 15-6-5, which isn't too far off from 20-5-5 other than the shooting.

[Chris22]

Hayward is being asked to run the second unit, which is ridiculous.

Smart should be running the second unit with Brown starting at the two.

[gouki88]

Hayward is being asked to run the second unit, which is ridiculous.

Smart should be running the second unit with Brown starting at the two.

No, he isn't. When he's asked to run the second unit he kills it. It's when Rozier does his awful impersonation of point guard play, or when Hayward is out there with Kyrie and Tatum/Morris (score-first guys) that Hayward struggles.

Smart should come off the bench. But Hayward should run the offence

[Chris22]

Hayward is being asked to run the second unit, which is ridiculous.

Smart should be running the second unit with Brown starting at the two.

No, he isn't. When he's asked to run the second unit he kills it. It's when Rozier does his awful impersonation of point guard play, or when Hayward is out there with Kyrie and Tatum/Morris (score-first guys) that Hayward struggles.

Smart should come off the bench. But Hayward should run the offence

How is that working out since the all star break?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

[Big333223]

Key takeaways... not much talk about him being physically limited at this point. We've seen some huge games from him. They admit he was slow earlier in the season, not physically ready, and also dealt with a back injury. They admit that making him try to play into shape backfired as it caused some friction with guys on the bench who thought they deserved the opportunity. And now the issue is that the team doesn't consistently go to him - instead going to "the hot hand"... Gonna be really hard for my man to win Eastern Conference Player of the Month based on the rough start, but there's still time if Brad gives him a greater opportunity with some consistent touches.

Also, very interesting to see Hayward admit that he got the sense players on the team were frustrated that his minutes were limiting their role... and that he's had to see a mental health counselor to get through this tough season. 

I'm rooting for him.  Shame we're in the midst of this "Too Many Guys" nightmare and can't just force-feed him minutes and touches until get gets back into a rhythm.

Jackie Mac doesn't seem to agree with you:

Still, because the Celtics considered Hayward a key cog in their championship aspirations, they determined that the best way to help him rehab was to let him work out the kinks on the court. It was a strategy that backfired miserably. As Hayward faltered early in the season, his play became stilted, hesitant.

She's referring to the first 17 games of the season when Hayward clearly wasn't ready.

I'm talking about right now. 

I see positive signs.  There's no talk of him still being physically limited.  This part stands out:

I think the principle is the same. Force feeding someone minutes does not always work. And it's not like he isn't playing. If he's going to continue to be bad, make him earn a pot. Maybe having to earn something will give him more confidence.

[Big333223]

Hayward is being asked to run the second unit, which is ridiculous.

Smart should be running the second unit with Brown starting at the two.

No, he isn't. When he's asked to run the second unit he kills it. It's when Rozier does his awful impersonation of point guard play, or when Hayward is out there with Kyrie and Tatum/Morris (score-first guys) that Hayward struggles.

Smart should come off the bench. But Hayward should run the offence

I'm with Chris22 on this. Hayward still can't get separation and while he's a pretty good ballhandler and pretty good passer, he's not a primary ballhandler, to me. At this stage, he's probably better spotting and posting and letting more reliable options get more run.

[nickagneta]

The more I hear about Hayward and his struggles because of the 2nd surgery and where exactly his game was to start the season, the more I am convinced Ainge and Stevens knew Hayward wasn't ready but took the gamble that force feeding him minutes would pay off. Their gamble failed. Welcome to what happened thereafter.

And as much as the article tried to make it seem like it's all mental with Hayward now, I am not buying it. His lack of lift, much slower and less powerful first step, and slower sprinting speed tell me differently.

Strangely, his lateral quickness seems there as he has been able to stay on his man while going side to side. Maybe that's a good sign of things to come.

[gouki88]

Hayward is being asked to run the second unit, which is ridiculous.

Smart should be running the second unit with Brown starting at the two.

No, he isn't. When he's asked to run the second unit he kills it. It's when Rozier does his awful impersonation of point guard play, or when Hayward is out there with Kyrie and Tatum/Morris (score-first guys) that Hayward struggles.

Smart should come off the bench. But Hayward should run the offence

I'm with Chris22 on this. Hayward still can't get separation and while he's a pretty good ballhandler and pretty good passer, he's not a primary ballhandler, to me. At this stage, he's probably better spotting and posting and letting more reliable options get more run.

I think he's better than any alternative.

[Silky]

I dont buy the atrophied muscles at all.

e broke his leg, not his back and neck, so I do not see any reason why he would have his back messed up from said atrophied muscles.

There were tonnes of videos o him shooting from chairs, in a cast etc.

Dude.  Please tell me you have a better understanding of how muscles work than this.

Well I guess it depends on your definaition of atrophy.

I am used to using that to describe severe conditions in which muscle litterally deteriorates due to things like coma, or paralysis etc.

If they are using it to state that he got a weaker cause he brokw his leg then ok. Making a mountain out of a molehill but technically correct

He broke his leg not fall into a coma.

[gouki88]

I dont buy the atrophied muscles at all.

e broke his leg, not his back and neck, so I do not see any reason why he would have his back messed up from said atrophied muscles.

There were tonnes of videos o him shooting from chairs, in a cast etc.

Dude.  Please tell me you have a better understanding of how muscles work than this.

Well I guess it depends on your definaition of atrophy.

I am used to using that to describe severe conditions in which muscle litterally deteriorates due to things like coma, or paralysis etc.

If they are using it to state that he got a weaker cause he brokw his leg then ok. Making a mountain out of a molehill but technically correct

He broke his leg not fall into a coma.

My god, this is a cringe-worthy level of ignorant.

Muscle atrophy is "when muscles waste away. The main reason for muscle wasting is a lack of physical activity. This can happen when a disease or injury makes it difficult or impossible for you to move."
via https://www.healthline.com/symptom/muscle-wasting

Or it can be defined as "a decrease in the mass of the muscle; it can be a partial or complete wasting away of muscle, and is most commonly experienced when persons suffer temporary disabling circumstances such as being restricted in movement and/or confined to bed as when hospitalized."
via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_atrophy

You don't only get weaker because of a coma. He was clearly unable to exercise properly due to horrific injury.

Just because it doesn't fit your untrue "definition" of atrophied muscles doesn't mean it isn't true.