So if hayward's struggles are mental to any significant extent, does that make them unjustified or intentional or a sign of some sort of character flaw?
Why are struggles due to trauma less valid than struggles due to, say, tendonitis?
I'm quite cautiously optimistic, based on David Locke's take on Hayward on his "Locked On" podcast when Hayward was a free agent (a couple years back), Locked On Celtics, Jackie McMullan's take on the Lowe Post podcast a few weeks back, and the games I've been able to watch.
It's not particularly analytical, but a brief summary of the Locke podcast is basically that Hayward works harder than anyone else. He's worked hard to add new bits to his game every off season - he wants to be a star, and willed himself to beating expectations and becoming a player of his stature through hard work.
So far, physically, Hayward has appeared to be on track, based on Locked On Celtics, the media, and my own viewings of Celtics games. A step slow, but no significant red flags physically.
In terms of timeline, Jackie Mac spoke to players in the league, who told her to expect March 2019 at least as the "real return date" for Hayward physically and mentally.
Based on the above, my gut feeling/hope is that Hayward will slowly break out in the coming months.
The recent games also seem to confirm the above, having taken a step back from being p---ed off at the losses - he'll have flashes, and the flashes will come more and more frequent. In the Grizz win, he looked quite agile and healthy - this makes sense the Grizz are a notoriously slow and deliberate team, and adjusting to the pace of the NBA is the one of the most difficult things for players to get used to by all accounts. I wasn't able to watch the Spurs and Rockets games - but the Spurs are great at picking on weakest links, while the Rockets are a fast paced team.
I think people forget that it took Paul George almost two years to recover from his broken leg. He came back a full year later for the last few games of the season and looked entirely mediocre. I expect Hayward to be back by next year, and he will hopefully be back by the playoffs of this year. Until then, though, he has to take his lumps. It sucks now, but it will make his poster dunks all that much sweeter later. (And, yes, Hayward could really get up before. He dunked more than George or Butler the year before he signed with the Celtics. Check Youtube if you don't believe me. He had some really impressive dunks over big men while in Utah.)
horrible comparison. First, Paul George played about 13 minutes a game. You cannot make a factual statement that this is the reason why Hayward sucks. He looks horrible and is playing regular NBA minutes.
Paul George came back the last few games season for the Pacers and played 14 minutes a game trying to get some game play in.
Who knows what Paul's preparation was.
Hayward came in the start and ready to go, and has stunk it up.
NVM him never being better than George anyway/
George played 13 mpg after an equally (or even less) horrific injury and no complications. He had the entire offseason AND 7/8ths of the NBA season to prepare. This is evidence of rust and athletic limitation, and George was arguably a less athletically reliant player than Hayward (George was a lazy three-point chucker in his last few Pacer years). His was a clean break of the leg.
Hayward had a second surgery that took away his offseason and early training camp. I am adamant that most severe injuries to anything below the waist take NBA players two full years to recover from athletically. This hold true for George's leg, Rondo's ACL, Rose's meniscus tears, Zach Lavine's ACL, and many other injuries. Even Mike Conley is shooting a career-worse 41.9% from the field in the year of increased perimeter scoring. (The only year he had with a lower FG% was last, which was cut short after 12 games due to an Achilles tear.)
These minutes are Hayward's only chance at recovery if we want him near peak form for the playoffs. The wait will be worth it, hopefully this year but definitely next.
Topic: How much longer do we need to give hayward? (Read 18875 times)