Will Gordon Hayward suit up for the Boston Celtics in Game 2?
An argument for the Boston Celtics winning this series over the Miami Heat can certainly be found in their missing one of their best players, Gordon Hayward. The 30-year old forward suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain in his first and only playoff appearance this postseason.
Hayward’s been most recently upgraded to ‘doubtful’ for Game 2 which, doesn’t inspire confidence that he’ll make an appearance, but also doesn’t rule him completely out. But his return to the floor, whenever that is, will add a new wrinkle to this series for the Miami Heat.
Particularly for their zone defense, given the Celtics often play Hayward within the middle of the floor on offense, and has had success doing so in that pas against Miami. He finished the regular season averaging 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 52 appearances for Boston.
The Heat and Celtics already seem even matched as is. Having to account for defense on Gordon Hayward won’t be an easy, or immediate transition for this Miami team. Luckily enough, as many of you know, Pat Riley and this front office have done their homework on the former All-Star.
Watch for the injury report ahead of game time to see if Hayward’s status changes. It’s likely it won’t, but given that this is the NBA playoffs, it wouldn’t surprise to see him lace em’ up.