Gordon Hayward would have been one of the defining forwards of the modern era if his prime wasn't cut short by one of the most horrific leg injuries suffered on the court. That injury happened in his Celtics debut, which was also his first game next to Kyrie Irving. Hayward told Paul George that he thinks Irving is the most talented player he's ever shared a court with.
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“I've been blessed to play with some super-talented players, but I've never seen anyone as talented as Kyrie with the ball. You're watching stuff that he does courtside like, 'What did he just do?' I would never see him work on it, it would just happen. I've seen the famous clip of him dribbling through everyone at Team USA practice, I was on the court for that. To me, he is the most talented player, especially for his size. He's not the most athletic, not the quickest, but he's got it all."
The Hayward injury would ultimately ruin the 2017-18 season for the Celtics, as the team made the Eastern Conference Finals without him or Kyrie just to lose in seven to LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. Hayward would finally play a season next to Kyrie in 2018-19, but Irving ended up leaving the Celtics that year after a second-round exit at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Hayward averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in the one full season alongside Kyrie in Boston, staying until the 2019-20 season after which he left as a free agent to sign with the Charlotte Hornets. Hayward has continued battling his injury woes in Charlotte, as the team has nothing to show for its four-year stint with Hayward. He's averaging 14.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists this season.
Irving left Boston for Brooklyn, where he had a tense three-year relationship with the Nets before being moved to the Dallas Mavericks last year. Irving re-signed with the Mavericks this summer but has seen injuries hamper the first two months of the campaign. He's averaging 22.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 18 games this season.
Gordon Hayward Explained Why The Celtics Failed To Win A Title In 2018-19
The Celtics performances in 2017-18 proved to the world that the team would have been in the NBA Finals if they didn't have to face LeBron's Cavs with Kyrie and Hayward both out. As a result, the 2018-19 Celtics were touted as comfortably the best team in the East, especially after LeBron left to join the Lakers.
The 2018-19 season ended worse, as internal issues led to the team finishing as a second-round exit after losing to the Bucks. Hayward explained what went wrong with that team.
"In my eyes, it was just, that we all had too many agendas, and the agenda to win the whole thing was not the main one. Not to blame anyone either because I think it was all human nature. The other problem is there were too many of us in the same position. We all needed the ball, we all rocked with the ball...It was one of those things where we’ve had five players-only meetings, and things were said that were the right things, but I think it’s just in one ear, right out the other."
Irving leaving the Celtics in the summer of 2019 set them back a few seasons, but they returned to the NBA Finals in 2022. they're the best team in the NBA this season and many are expecting Jayson Tatum to finally deliver on the promise of a championship for Boston.
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