The Boston Celtics announced on Tuesday that Gordon Hayward will miss approximately four weeks with a severe, Grade 3 sprain of his right ankle.
Hayward turned his ankle in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 109-101 win in Game 1 of their opening round series against the Philadelphia 76ers. Hayward was fighting for a rebound with Joel Embiid when he jumped and landed on teammate Daniel Theis’ foot. This is not the ankle he injured in 2017.
Hayward stayed down as play resumed and was helped off the floor after play stopped. He was putting weight on the leg as he walked off, but he was noticeably limping. Afterwards, the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn, who is reporting from the bubble, reported seeing Hayward leave the arena on crutches and in a walking boot.
The timing of Hayward’s injury is a bit cruel as he was one of the best stories for the Celtics during the seeding games. He had rediscovered a burst that we hadn’t seen since his time in Utah, and his aggressiveness was paying off for not just himself, but for the teammates he was finding with the added space he was creating.
The Celtics were also, for the first time all season, enjoying some full health. Game 1 against Philadelphia was the first game where Kemba Walker didn’t have a minutes restriction, but Boston couldn’t even make it through those 48 minutes unscathed.
Brad Stevens now has to figure out how to replace Hayward in the starting lineup. The standard plan of action has been to start Marcus Smart when one of Boston’s wings has gone down with injury. To show you how often that’s been the case, Smart has been called in to start 40 of the 60 games he’s played this season.
However, Stevens has gotten creative in the past when injuries have arisen. If he chooses to keep the rotations closer to normal and have Smart come off the bench, he could turn to someone like Semi Ojeleye to start in Hayward’s place. The hope there would be to keep some continuity and keep either Smart or Walker on the floor at all times to run the offense. Ojeleye is a capable 3-point shooter, hitting 37.8% of his attempts this season, and is a strong defender.
As a side note, the injury timeline may now match the timeline for the birth of Hayward’s son. He has originally planned to leave the team for that, which would have created this same lineup question for Stevens. It’s possible now that Hayward’s departure and subsequent quarantine could fall in line with his recovery time, meaning his departure may not extend his absence.
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Gordon Hayward injury: Boston Celtics wing out approximately four weeks with severe ankle sprain - MassLive.com
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