Tag: Gordon Hayward

Five Celtics named to Team USA’s preliminary roster for 2020 Olympics

The Boston Celtics are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most players named to Team USA’s 44-man preliminary roster for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Team USA’s men’s basketball team has announced their official 44-man preliminary roster for the 2020 Olympic Games, which will be held in Tokyo.

Unsurprisingly, the Celtics will be heavily represented, with five players — tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for the league-high— named to the roster: guards Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart, along with forwards Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward.

It may have been easy to assume that the first four Celtics named would be on the roster after playing for Team USA in last summer’s qualifiers and earning the praise of Team USA men’s basketball head coach Gregg Popovich (of the San Antonio Spurs).

However, the addition of Hayward, who has looked much like he did in his prime after overcoming a horrific leg and ankle injury that seemed to rob some of his athleticism — and thus his effectiveness — last season, was not predicted. Such an honor is vindication for Hayward, an intelligent playmaker who’s averaging 17.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 0.7 steals per game this season while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three (and has looked both healthy and athletic while doing so).

Tatum and Brown are also having career seasons with the former seeming to have taken on the mantle of being the best player on the team and the face of the Celtics after the offseason departure of the disgruntled Kyrie Irving.

Tatum is averaging a team-high 22.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 38.7 percent from three. He’s developed a go-to shot — a sidestep three-pointer — and is more aggressive in attacking the rim then in past seasons. Tatum’s defense, never highlighted as a particular strength of his game, has been quite effective as well. Suffice it to say, with such a strong performance, it’s no surprise that Tatum was named as an All-Star this season.

Brown is a better finisher, ball-handler, shooter and passer than last season. Those improvements have led the renaissance man to averages of 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three.

Walker, the leader that Boston sorely needed last season, has averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game while acquitting himself from the common perception that he was a poor defender. The Celtics’ second All-Star this season, Walker has shot 43.6 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from three-point range.

Smart, whose play can’t be summed up with statistics due to the effort he plays with and his gritty, never-say-die, attitude, continues to be the heart and soul of the Celtics team. While the four previously listed players will likely play an important role on offense (and defense), Smart is going to be fine doing the dirty work. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t make plays when needed, as the veteran guard has averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game.

Though not every player may not make it into Team USA’s finalized roster, this quintet has as good a chance of any of surviving training camp and taking part in the Olympic Games next summer. No matter who makes it or who doesn’t, the Celtics have certainly made their home fans proud this season; their having five players named to the Team USA preliminary roster is just icing on the cake.

Injury report: Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward return for matchup vs. Thunder

The Boston Celtics will be near full-health when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Boston Celtics will have most of their roster available for their road matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, which takes place at 3:30 p.m. EST on NBATV, as three players — Jaylen Brown (ankle), Gordon Hayward (knee) and Daniel Theis (ankle) — return to the court after missing Boston’s last game with various injuries.

Brown and Hayward, key starters for Boston, will be the most beneficial returns for the Celtics, who relied upon rookies Romeo Langford and Grant Williams in their absence.

Though Langford and Williams played reasonably well, Brown and Hayward — both having their best seasons of their Celtics career — are averaging a combined 37.5 points, 12.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game while both are shooting above 49 percent from the field and 37 percent from three.

The Thunder, sitting at sixth in the Western Conference standings with a 32-20 record, will understandably have a much tougher time taking down Boston with the returns of Brown and Hayward. Theis, an intelligent inside-outside presence for the Celtics at the pivot, is shooting just 31.7 percent and is undersized — especially against Thunder center Steven Adams — but his ability to space the floor and draw the Goliath-sized big man out of the paint will aid the efforts of Boston’s slashers.

Three OKC-Boston questions with the Celtics Wire’s Justin Quinn

Two of the hottest teams in the NBA put their winning streaks on the line Sunday. Boston has won 9-of-10 while OKC was won four in a row.

On Sunday afternoon the Thunder step out of Western Conference play to take on one of the best teams in the East, the Boston Celtics.

The Celts have won nine of their last 10 and come into Sunday riding a six-game winning streak.

Much like the Thunder, Boston chose not to make any moves at the trade deadline, with former OKC center, Enes Kanter telling ESPN, “I feel like we’ve got everything we need to just win a championship. And we’ve just got to go out there and prove it.”

With two of the hottest teams in the league tipping off inside Chesapeake Energy Arena at 2:30 p.m. CT, we caught up with Justin Quinn, the editor of our sister site Celtics Wire to see what’s been going on in Boston so far this year.

1 – What should Oklahoma City Thunder fans know about the Boston Celtics’ season so far?

First and foremost, this team runs on chemistry and each other’s energy. While it hasn’t been as much of an issue lately, Boston has had a tendency to try and get a feel for which of their four primary scoring threats has the hot hand, especially against lesser opponents in terms of wins and losses.

Those four threats are mostly on the wing — All-Star point guard Kemba Walker the sole exception — and create chaos in passing lanes on defense while creating something of a Sophie’s choice on offense. Once they get that action going, it’s really hard to stop, as their defense creates possessions that make it hard for opponents to get their defenses set, and only a handful of teams have the perimeter defense able to slow down Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward as well as Walker.

However, when opponents can hit the Celtics hard and early, those emotional drivers have the opposite effect and have seen more than a few teams steal a win they shouldn’t have by capitalizing on that tendency.

 

2 – What will it take for each team to win?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a much better team than almost any they have faced in January, save the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and perhaps Philadelphia 76ers. But they’ve also won six in a row since that month rolled into February, where the schedule gets both more relaxed in terms of frequency but tougher in terms of opponents, starting with OKC.

It’s hard to say whether their recent success will galvanize them against the murderer’s row of opponents they have to start the month, or if it will lull them into a false sense of security the Thunder can use to their advantage similar to how I described above. If they can, Oklahoma City should be able to win the meeting, especially considering center Robert Williams III (hip) will be out, and both center Daniel Theis and wing Jaylen Brown (right ankle sprain for each) are questionable.

Boston should win if they can field at least one of Theis or Brown and continue their more recent habit of Brown, Hayward, and Walker being aggressive early while the team as a whole executes down the stretch. Slow starts and third quarter lulls have not been the Celtics’ friend this season, so they’ll have to be diligent to avoid them against an opponent of the caliber the Thunder are.

 

3 – What else should we know about the Celtics?

Like OKC, they were mostly written off as in a retooling season if not a rebuild, and have surprised many analysts and opponents around the league. But they have long ago shed the plucky label and have been recognized as some of the better two teams in the NBA this season, and probably won’t sneak up on one another as a result.

We might be in for an epic battle as each tries to maintain their recent positive momentum with Boston on a six-game winning streak and the Thunder victors of their last four contests.

 

 

Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart set to return to court against Hawks

Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart are ready to return from their respective injuries but they’ll still be short-handed against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday.

The Boston Celtics will have two of their most important players back on the court when the Celtics face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, with guards Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart set to return to the Gang Green.

Walker, who will be on a minutes restriction (according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps), has missed Boston’s past three games with soreness (left knee) while Smart has missed their last two contests with a right quad contusion. However, the Celtics will have to manage against the Hawks — whom they defeated by eight points in their last matchup — without starters Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Daniel Theis. Big man Robert Williams III remains out as well.

Down three starters and with one-half of their All-Star duo on a minutes restriction, the Celtics will need players like Smart, Brad Wanamaker and Semi Ojeleye to step up and help replace some of their scoring punch.

Otherwise, Boston will be looking for a spectacular performance from All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, who scored 28 points (on 50.0 percent shooting from the field) when the two team’s last met and is averaging 21.9 points per game this season.

Tip-off will be at 7:30 p.m. EST as the Celtics try to bring their record to 36-15.

 

Gordon Hayward hasn’t thought on Boston future, wants a title there

Despite countless attempts to guess Boston Celtics swingman Gordon Hayward’s future with the franchise, the Butler product claims to have thought little on the subject.

The Boston Celtics have some important roster decisions to make ahead of the February 6th trade deadline, and veteran forward Gordon Hayward’s future with the team is one of them.

Hayward’s future with the franchise has been a popular — and at times controversial — topic this season.

The swingman is finally playing like the player Boston anticipated signing before his injury in 2017, the required lengthy recovery the 10-year veteran is only just emerging from this season.

In a unique position as the only Celtic with a large, potentially moveable contract that could see him a free agent this summer if he decides to opt out.

If the front office was chastened by their Al Horford experience this summer, they might opt to move the Indiana native to retain whatever value they can rather than risk another high-profile departure.

But doing so would probably shut the door on contending this season, and possibly next as well — thus provoking a range of opinions from fans and analysts alike as to what should be done (if anything) to address the status quo in regards to Hayward.

Despite all the armchair analysis, if you ask the Butler product his feelings on the topic, you might be surprised be the response.

“As a player, I’ve never really bought into any of it,” Hayward told the Boston Herald’s Steve Bulpett. “Like, I don’t read anything, I don’t know anything. It’s not weird for me,” he added.

And his thoughts on the ambiguity created by his contract situation itself?

“I haven’t thought about it at all,” he offered.

“I’ve never done that. When I was a restricted free agent, I didn’t think about it. Then when I was a free agent [in 2017], I honestly didn’t think about it until after the season. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it this time, too.”

This should be at least a little concerning. While he’s not saying anything like the response Kyrie Irving gave a year ago when asked a similar question, he is referencing an analogous situation of not thinking about free agency…and then leaving the team he was on for another.

In fairness, though, he followed it up with a statement that should calm any jangled nerves at least a little bit.

“I want to win a championship here … I mean, that’s what my goal is. That’s what my focus is. You know, after the season, you sit down and discuss things … But right now I’m trying to play my best basketball to help us win a title.”

“That’s my focus,” he added.

As fans and analysts, we are not privy to the conversations going on — if they are going on — behind the scenes.

So, it’s not unlikely team president Danny Ainge may already have intelligence that will make a very difficult decision a little easier to make.

Conversely, he and the rest of Boston’s executives may be just as much in the dark as the rest of us if they don’t have much more to work with than what the Butler product has offered up to date, complicating their plans for this week.

Stay or go, we’ll know their thinking before Friday.

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Gordon Hayward speaks out on Kobe’s last game

Boston Celtics veteran forward Gordon Hayward relates how he did NOT try to help Los Angeles Laker legend Kobe Bryant get to 60 points in his final game.

Sometimes, we see things that aren’t there in a moment of grief.

Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward recently came clean on Twitter about a story circulating on how the then- Utah Jazz swingman supposedly intentionally created a lane violation in Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant’s last game.

The move, which would have given Bryant a second free throw attempt at scoring 60 points in his final game, was evidently unintentional according to Hayward.

The Butler product had forged a strong bond with his former opponent since breaking his ankle at the start of his Celtics tenure, with the Laker luminary having reached out to support Hayward in the darkest hour of his career.

While the story and idea behind it was a warm, touching one, the Indiana native’s framing of Kobe preferring to go out fighting rather than being gifted anything rings true.

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Mike Tirico pointed out a subtle Gordon Hayward gesture from Kobe Bryant’s final game … but did it happen?

A tale from Bryant’s last game went viral, but Hayward said it didn’t happen.

Mike Tirico — who called Kobe Bryant’s final NBA game in 2016 –pointed out a moment in the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s unbelievable 60-point finale that we had all missed.

While speaking to The Ringer, he noted that Bryant hit his 59th point of the night at the free-throw line, and that his second from the charity stripe would give him 60.

But what if he missed? He’d be stuck on 59 points … yet it would have been much cooler for him to have a 60-point night before retiring.

That’s when Tirico discussed then-Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward, telling the world that Hayward had stepped into the lane right before Bryant’s free throw, just in case the legend missed the shot (Bryant didn’t).

“He had the complete wherewithal at 59 to just put a foot in the lane and look over at the ref, just in case Kobe missed it,” Tirico said. “To make sure he got another shot at 60.”

You can see the moment below … and sure looks like Hayward stepped into the lane blatantly long before Bryant began his attempt.

But Hayward denied the deliberate move on Twitter late Monday night:

[jwplayer vC4rGMiL-q2aasYxh]

WATCH: Gordon Hayward’s subtle gift to Kobe’s final game

In Kobe Bryant’s final game, then-Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward made a subtle gesture to the Los Angeles Lakers luminary the world forgot until now.

While it might not have been as high-profile as the connection between Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, veteran swingman Gordon Hayward had a deep bond with Los Angeles Laker legend Kobe Bryant.

While he was still with the Utah Jazz, before the fierce competitor retired, before Hayward would shatter his ankle and before Bryant would reach out to support him in his long path to health, the Butler product made the subtlest of gestures in the legend’s final game.

It was so minor, only the most observant would catch the move.

In the final moments of Kobe’s playing career, as he approached the 60-point mark at the charity stripe, Hayward stepped in the lane.

For those less well-versed in the minutiae of the game, had Bryant missed the shot, a referee would have likely called the shot a lane violation, giving Kobe one more shot to go out with 60.

Watch the video above to see the nod to greatness, and a moment surely etched in Hayward’s mind forever.

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The case for keeping Gordon Hayward

While more than a few fans and analysts both have broached the idea of trading veteran forward Gordon Hayward for a number of reasons…do any of them actually make sense?

A combination of less-than-optimal results in recent games and the fast-approaching trade deadline has stirred up considerable interest in dealing veteran forward Gordon Hayward from the Boston Celtics among fans and analysts alike.

A busy stretch of the calendar and injuries no one could have realistically prevented have almost everything to do with the recent skid, and Hayward’s play very little, even if a certain subset of Boston fans are happy to blame the Butler product anyway.

But those scapegoating Celtics aficionados aside, does it actually make sense to deal the 29-year-old former All-Star?

It depends on how you see the situation.

Some analysts would rather see the team’s young wing duo, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, forced into bigger roles in his absence.

This overlaps with another perspective concerned that the former Bulldog could opt out of his current deal this summer and walk for nothing as center Al Horford did last summer.

Regardless of whether you feel either (or both) of these ideas make sense, it would almost certainly make the team worse in the short-term.

It also requires a quality target another team is willing to deal, and to date there haven’t been any realistic options to make a big splash even if the Celtics had the assets and salaries needed to seal the deal.

With so many big-but-crucial salaries unable to be dealt for an impact player, only Hayward’s seems plausible given his age, a half-decade or older than most of his peers on the rookie-heavy squad.

But the same contractual uncertainty over what the Indiana native will do this summer will likely give teams who’d like to keep him as much pause as those who need an expiring deal.

There’s something to be said for what Hayward provides the team when he’s feeling it, and for most nights this season, he has enough that he’s been a key figure whether playing with starters or helping ease transitions to the second unit.

“His ability to act as a playmaker at 6-foot-7 creates problems for opponents, but it more so gives [head coach] Brad Stevens a multitude of options when it comes to rotations and lineups,” notes Boston.com’s Chris Grenham on this point.

As Grenham notes, he’s also an excellent, versatile defender, and if the team truly needs bench scoring and shooting, staggering the 10-year veteran onto the rookie-dominated second unit could be just what the doctor ordered without even making a trade.

While there are very good and valid reasons to consider such a drastic move as dealing Hayward, it’s probably overdue we take a long, hard look at the actual contexts such a move makes sense within — which are not as broad as some assume.

And based on what we’re seeing develop so far on the trade market, such a move may just not materialize in time to pounce.

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Celtics defeat Grizzlies in 119-95 rout to pick up second straight win

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points in the team’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.

The Boston Celtics have one of the most balanced offenses in the NBA, with most players having ample opportunities to score.

That balanced attack proved beneficial Wednesday night as the Celtics defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 119-95, to pick up a second straight win. Six players scored in double figures, and Celtics forward Jayson Tatum scored a team-high 23 points on 50% shooting from the field.

Per Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, Tatum left the game in the third quarter with a right groin strain.

According to John Karalis of MassLive.com, Jaylen Brown was out with an ankle sprain. With Brown out, the Celtics needed someone to fill the scoring void. Brown is the Celtics’ third-leading scorer. Daniel Theis was second behind Tatum in scoring, as he totaled 14 points, grabbed four rebounds and had three blocks.

Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart both scored 12 points, and Enes Kanter and Brad Wanamaker combined for 23 points off the bench.

The Celtics had a quality shooting performance, as they shot 50.6% from the field and 43.8% from the 3-point line. A 41-point third quarter was the height of their offensive outburst.

Another key facet of the win was the Celtics’ defense. Rookie phenom Ja Morant was held to a season-low two points, and Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies’ third-leading scorer, scored six points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.

The Celtics will look to extend their win streak to three games Friday on the road against the Orlando Magic.

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