Gordon Hayward was the best player on the floor during the Celtics’ 118-109 win over the Timberwolves on Saturday night.
That’s a sentence that I wasn’t sure I would be writing over the course of the 2018-19 regular season after watching the first quarter of this campaign. The 28-year-old had his moments over the first 22 games of the regular season but it was undoubtedly an uphill climb for him, particularly on the offensive end. The jump shot wasn’t there yet (29 percent from 3), forays into the paint were made with a pass-first mentality on many occasions and the burst just wasn’t back yet. There were glimpses here and there but much like the Celtics, Hayward had trouble putting it together over the course of 48 minutes. Whether or not his body would let him get there this year was a fair question to ponder.
Hayward’s offensive struggles did not stop him from doing the little things that helped the Celtics’ win on some nights. There were other nights when Hayward clearly did not have it, yet Brad Stevens still fed him crunch time minutes over arguably more deserving options. That mentality had faded in the last couple of weeks though with the Celtics hovering around the .500 mark. Hayward was sent to the bench and his crunch time minutes were no longer a guarantee on any given night.
Those parameters set the stage for Saturday night, in which the new-look starting five all were having solid games with the C’s clinging to a four-point lead with four minutes remaining over the Wolves. There was no obvious choice to send to the bench, but it didn’t matter. Hayward (30 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) needed to be on the floor during crunch time and he proved it with the best four minutes of his Celtic career, leading the visitors to a 118-109 win. Let's take an inside look at his impact on both ends that goes beyond the box score.
3:11 remaining: Celtics lead 103-101:
Tatum misses a mid-range jumper against a scrambling Wolves defense that is full of mismatches. Hayward claims inside position against Karl-Anthony Towns and manages to draw a borderline loose ball foul underneath the basket. The Wolves are in the penalty so Hayward heads to the free throw line and knocks down a pair to put Boston up four. The move won’t show up in the box score but it doesn’t happen without Hayward’s savvy.
2:50 remaining: Celtics lead 105-101:
Most of Hayward’s accolades will come for his shooting work after tonight’s performance but it shouldn’t be overlooked that Stevens put him on the Wolves’ top scorer (Derrick Rose) for the final four minutes of this game. Hayward gets switched off of Rose in the pick-and-roll here but manages to disrupt the point guard before getting back to his man (Towns). He then manages to seal Towns (one of the best offensive rebounders in the league) under the rim, opening the door for a Jayson Tatum board and transition opportunity. The 20-year-old draws a foul and gets to the line for two more.
2:36 left: Celtics lead 107-101:
More unheralded defense here from Hayward on Rose. The Wolves try to run the pick-and-roll with Rose and Towns but Hayward manages to get his hand on the dish to the rolling center.
Irving comes up with the loose ball and gets the push in transition, finding a wide-open Hayward on the left wing in the 3-on-2 break for an easy bucket.
1:54 left: Celtics lead 109-103:
One of the biggest concerns about Hayward’s slow start to the year has been his inability to create separation without a screen. His burst and foot speed just don’t seem to be all the way back, at least they didn’t before Saturday night. However, this simple play was a promising step on that front. Andrew Wiggins isn’t exactly known for his defense, but he’s also one of the more athletic wings in the league. With a couple screens set up to Hayward’s right, Wiggins anticipates the drive to the right. The savvy Hayward realizes this and makes a strong drive to the left, leaving Wiggins in his wake. He avoids the contest at the rim and finishes with his left. This looked like the guy who was the first option in Utah.
1:24 left: Celtics lead 111-103:
Hayward again gets to work on the offensive glass by sacrificing himself for the team. With Irving matched up against Towns on a switch, Rose (Hayward’s man) is shading over for help. The swingman makes Rose pay for this by cutting, which opens the door to a swing pass to Tatum on the right wing for an open 3. Instead of just going through the motions here, Hayward sets up shop again down low, forcing the undersized Jeff Teague to give the foul to prevent an easy putback off the miss. More easy points for the C’s at the line to pad their lead.
0:36 left: Celtics lead 113-107
The fundamental play here for the C’s would have been to run the clock down below 24 seconds in regulation to ensure the Wolves would have had to foul after a make in order to potentially tie the game. However, confidence was overflowing from Hayward at this stage of the game and Irving made it his priority to reward him for it. He drew three defenders in the paint before giving the kick out pass to Hayward in the corner. Hayward buried his fourth 3 of the night, sealing the win and his 30-point performance.
The capper of it all was a Gatorade bath from Al Horford, Semi Ojeleye, Brad Wanamaker, Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier during Hayward’s postgame interview. They had seen their teammate grind through a challenging quarter of the season after a year on the mend. They knew he was capable of putting it together and seemed genuinely thrilled for him.
How can you not love this team?! ?? pic.twitter.com/h1WuuZjC0U
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 2, 2018