To the relief of many, it seems Gordon Hayward’s foot soreness has little to do with the brutal injury he sustained at the start of the 2017-18 NBA season.
As one of four Boston Celtics out injured against the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night, concern over injury is somewhat elevated among fans, particularly regarding anything that could knock a key player out of action for extended stretches.
So when news came Hayward was a late scratch to the eventual win, concern over whether the discomfort might be related to the Butler product’s catastrophic injury were forthcoming.
Today, however, on the popular local sports radio show Toucher and Rich, as team president Danny Ainge made his weekly appearance, the topic of injuries came up, and the former executive of the year explained both Hayward and Marcus Smart’s injury situation.
Danny Ainge on @Toucherandrich says Gordon Hayward’s foot issue is near the toe but calls him day-to-day as they try to alleviate the discomfort that has lingered.
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) December 19, 2019
Smart had been dealing with eye infection along with two other players being out with more serious injury — centers Vincent Poirier with a broken finger and Robert Williams with a left hip edema — and Hayward’s malady began bothering him even before his hand was fully healed.
“Hayward, he’s day-to-day,” said the Oregon native.
“He’s had this foot issue — when he was coming back from the hand injury he was doing a lot of training and being able to work and he just has a toe/foot — it’s right there where your toe connects with your foot,” Ainge added.
“It’s just some pain, and we’re trying to figure out what it is. He had a cortisone shot, hoping that would make it better, but it actually made it worse. So, we’re trying to figure all that out, but nobody knows exactly what the issue is.”
Not exactly optimal news, given they still haven’t uncovered the source of the discomfort, but it’s unlikely to be a symptom of something going wrong with Hayward’s previously-injured ankle, at least directly.
They do seem to be leaning towards it being a minor issue, the main concern being that it is lingering. Ahead of last night’s tilt, head coach Brad Stevens related they’d tested several times already, and planned to again, just to be safe.
“They did an MRI three weeks ago, two weeks ago or whatever it was,” he said (courtesy of MassLive’s John Karalis). “Nothing structural, nothing a big concern … He’ll do another MRI tomorrow just to rule anything else out.”
Smart, on the other hand, may be back soon, though from the sound of what the team’s general manager had to say, it seems likely he won’t be suiting up on Friday against the Detroit Pistons.
“Smart had a bad case of an eye infection, but he’s getting much better,” offered Ainge. “He had a viral issue, and he was sick with the flu for four or five days through this whole process.”
Celtics injury report vs. Dallas
Gordon Hayward – Sore Left Foot – OUT
Vincent Poirier – Right Pinkie Fracture – OUT
Marcus Smart – Left Eye Infection – OUT
Robert Williams – Left Hip Bone Edema – OUT— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) December 18, 2019
“He was just quarantined at home, but he’s getting better. I talk to him every day, and I’m hoping that he’ll be healthy,” he added.
“He hasn’t played basketball or even been out of bed much over the last week to ten days. We need to get him back out on the court and sweating and making sure he’s healthy and doing good. I would venture to say Christmas, Christmas day would be the time for his return, but that’s just a guess.”
This sentiment was largely mirrored by Stevens ahead of the Mavericks game.
“Comparing [Smart] to Monday last week, he was doing at best equal and maybe a little bit worse, but I’ve heard he feels better as of last night,” said Stevens. “Today he’s gone back to see more people, and hopefully he’s able to get on the court soon. But no timeline on it.”
With just how banged up Marcus Smart tends to get mid-season, the eye infection may turn out to be a blessing in disguise, especially with the Celtics having weathered a tougher stretch of their schedule down multiple players.
With few teams ahead soon with a winning schedule, but plenty of back-to-backs, Boston’s best friend until February is rest. For at least the first half of the next month, the team will have several players getting it — whether they want it or not.