Earlier this week, Gordon Hayward finally announced a timetable for his return to regular basketball activities.“I think at the recovery pace I’m currently on, I’ll probably start running again in July,” he wrote on his personal website.“Once I get started, I’ll be jogging, then running, and then cutting and moving, and all that could happen within one to two weeks of each other, to where by the end of July I am playing full court, five-on-five basketball. And that’s probably the most exciting thing I could tell all of you,” he added.After suffering a horrific injury just two minutes into his debut season with the Celtics, the All-Star forward missed the rest of the season as a result and therefore watched his teammates make a deep playoff run.Along the way, he provided updates to his fans in a very transparent manner, mostly though his website but also to the media. There was a setback along the way, but throughout the process, he kept shooting — even from a seated position.In a recent interview with Jay King of The Athletic, coach Brad Stevens made an interesting claim about Hayward’s current shooting ability.
Gordon the sharpshooter
"I think the one thing that I’ve seen just watching him here — he’s been here all month — like, his shooting in his year off has gotten better. I think he’s spent a lot of time in the chair, well-documented, with minimal jumps. And now it will just be about getting back into you know sprinting off and shooting or playing 5-on-5 and shooting. But I think he’ll — I know how excited he is to start playing,” Stevens noted.
Overall, Hayward will have a massive impact in Boston next season if he can get (and stay) healthy.
“One of Gordon’s great strengths is that he can fit in and play with anyone because of all the versatility, because of all the skill sets,” Stevens explained. “He can play as your primary ball handler if you want to play your point guards off the ball. He can play as a bigger wing. He can switch and guard 4s. He can just do so many things that fit right in with any group.”
“I think you always look at guys and you say, ‘How many positions can they guard and how many spots can you put them in on offense?’ And that level of versatility increases your opportunity. And he has versatility on both ends of the court for days. And I think that is the thing that obviously is so exciting to plug him in, let alone the fact that he’s a really, really high-caliber player who’s proven in the league,” the former Coach of the Year nominee noted.
Since all Hayward could do for a while was shoot due to his rehab, the attention to detail and perfection of his stroke could positively impact his game when he returns to full strength.