After one of the more gruesome injuries seen on a professional basketball court, Celtics forward Gordon Hayward appears to be progressing very well. So well, in fact, that he has not ruled out playing again this season. According to ESPN’s Chris Forsberg Hayward still has his sights set on a return, but understands that there is still a ways to go.
“The hope is still there,” Hayward said. “It’s something where I’m really honestly not even thinking about it. I know we’re getting toward the end of the year. It’s something that I’m still working toward, but if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.”
“My thoughts are that I take it day by day. And I said that from the very beginning, that’s what I would do, not putting a timetable on it,” Hayward continued. “The recovery is going well. I’m progressing well. I was in the facility this morning, will be in the facility tomorrow. And that’s kinda my goal — just really focusing day by day.”
The Boston Celtics sit at a comfortable second seed in the Eastern Conference with a healthy lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyrie Irving and Al Horford have led the way to an impressive 46-20 record. Hayward is certainly pleased with the way his team has played without him.
“They’ve been really good,” Hayward said. “The amount of guys that we have on the team that seem to step up, different guys on different nights, obviously led by Kyrie and Al, I think it’s getting guys a lot of valuable experiences, and it’s been fun watching it and cheering them on.”
Despite saying before that a return was not likely, this is surprising news. The Celtics should be protective of Gordon Hayward and his health moving forward, but if he is 100 percent by the playoffs, Boston may ease him into action.
