The Curious Case of Gordon Hayward

Gordon Hayward is not the same Gordon Hayward.

Obviously we all know what happened to Gordon Hayward. He suffered one of the most gruesome injuries I've ever seen. He's worked tremendously hard to get back on the court and get back to basketball. The only issue is he still hasn't been able to get back to being Gordon Hayward.

After the Celtics played a thriller against the Golden State Warriors this past weekend, an anonymous Golden State player said it's clear Hayward is a liability on both ends of the floor. Whoever that player is, he's not wrong.

Gordon is a great player and we all understand it is not easy to come back from what happened to him. He was hurt and took a full year off from the game of basketball. It's not fair to ask him to be back to All-Star status already, but the Celtics need more from him.

Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge both love Gordon and that means he's going to get his minutes. He's going to play, but how much should he? I'm of the mind that maybe taking a step back with him may help. Let's also not forget that this Celtics team gelled and found their stride last year without him. His presence alone as forced roles to change on the roster.

I'm not blaming Gordon solely for the Celtics struggles this season, but I am blaming Brad and Danny for not seeing that he's still not totally ready to be the player they signed yet.