KG would not sit on the bench when injured because the frustration of being unable to play was too much for him. Nobody questioned his loyalty or commitment.
I've heard this said multiple times, but didn't this picture come from C's/Bulls 1st round in '09?
Anyway back to Hayward, I know he's rehabbing in Indiana right now, and there's this from the SI artcile spikelovetheCelts linked:
Early on, Hayward would hobble down to his basement theater at tip-off, fidgeting with the ball Stevens brought him in the hospital. “I could usually make it to halftime,” he says, “and then it would be like, All right, I’m done, I have to turn this off.” If the Celtics were winning, he felt sorry for himself, because he was missing out. If they were losing, he felt sorry for everybody else, because he couldn’t help. He tried going to a home game against the Warriors. “That was the worst,” Hayward says. “I was so close.” He retreated from the bench to the locker room for the second half as Boston toppled Golden State, a source of immense pride and unspeakable agony.
I get how sitting on the bench can be tough (well I think I do anyway, not really in their shoes), but I wonder if he'd enjoy it more now if he gave it another try. Being the only sitting out, with no hope of return, has to be miserable, but could it be a different experience with others sitting there with him now? He has Smart, Irving, and Theis to sit with and talk to now, so it wouldn't just be Hayward by himself. Now if Hayward is feeling frustrated and says, "Man I wish I was out there...", Kyrie is there to slap him on the back and say, "Me too man, me too." There's no longer that extreme feeling of isolation.
Not that I expect Hayward to try this, but I think it could be a different/better experience now.
