Gordon Hayward has rebuilt his confidence during busy summer

BURLINGTON -- After an offseason full of changes for the Boston Celtics, Gordon Hayward is hopeful he will be one of the leftover pieces that look a lot different for Brad Stevens in 2019. The veteran wing has spent his summer living in Boston and working at the C's training facility almost every morning after an inconsistent season for him following  his return from a horrific ankle injury.

"It was just important for me to stay here and work with the staff," Hayward said Tuesday at the unveiling of a Celtics sponsored basketball court in Burlington. "They kind of knew exactly where I was at after the season and I wanted to build off of that and also work with the coaches and get ready for the upcoming year."

With a clean bill of health and no restrictions on his condition, something that Hayward has been waiting two years for, the former All-Star has been trying to regain the consistency in his game that escaped him for much of 2018-19.

“That’s been really nice, being able to train exactly how I’m used to training, not having to worry about doing stuff for only 10 minutes or only doing certain amount of reps,” Hayward said. “I don’t have to worry about surgery or anything, too, so it’s been really good from that standpoint.”

The focus for the 29-year-old? Simply building back the confidence that had faded throughout the past two years.

"I think more than anything just building back some confidence, being able to do everything that I’m used to doing, and just having the reps." he explained. "Reps is what gives you confidence, so being able to do things over and over and over and not worry about how my ankle’s feeling, or having to be cautious with it, has been really good, especially for my confidence."

That confidence will be essential for a Celtics team that will need Hayward at closer to his best if they want to be considered a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. A sense of normalcy has returned to Hayward now and that's a refreshing change after two years of focusing on simply getting back on the floor.

"Certainly mentally feeling a lot more confident than I was going into last year. I think last year was a lot of hoping and not really knowing what was going to happen just because I didn't have the reps going into a brand new system playing with brand new teammates. After playing with everyone for a year and being around everyone, and, more than anything, going into a summer training as hard as I want to, it's a lot better for my confidence this year and expectations-wise as well."

 

While Hayward now has a full year in the system to build off of, he will have to adjust to a new point guard in Kemba Walker following the departure of Kyrie Irving. Hayward hadn't spoken about Irving since his exit interview in May but did not appear to hold any ill will towards his former teammate's decision.

"Yeah I mean it’s kind of like the most interesting part of the league is the drama that happens every offseason," Hayward said of Irving. "I don’t know if there’s any league like that where you’re having major guys switch teams it seems like every summer. Certainly with us, Kyrie leaving, we’re going to miss him and his abilities and everything, and you wish him the best of luck as he goes to Brooklyn. But I think we as a team are excited about who we have coming in, and are more than excited to welcome Kemba and Enes and Vincent and all the other guys that are new for us. I’ve seen the rookies around too. Being at the facility I’ve seen them all. I’m really impressed with their work ethic and I’m just excited about the year.

Hayward almost had teamed up with Walker back in 2014 as a restricted free agent (the Jazz matched the Hornets offer) and is eager to see what he brings to the table in Boston.

"I think obviously a veteran guy, so some leadership, but somebody that’s just a game-changer with his quickness, probing in the lane. He’s able to find seams that a lot of guys can’t just because of his change of speed and obviously his scoring ability too. We’ll lean on him a lot for sure," said Hayward.

 

Enes Kanter is another former teammate of Hayward in Utah and the swingman raved about what he expects Kanter to bring to the table in Boston years later.

"It's amazing how in the NBA things come full circle all the time," he said. "Certainly when Enes and I were playing together we were both a lot younger. Things were definitely a little different. I've watched his game grow up as he's been around the league with different teams. He'll be a fan favorite. Everyone's going to love his energy that he brings. He's one of the best offensive rebounders in the league so that's going to be a no-doubt, but he's gotten really well at the mid-roll, half-roll area, making decisions in there and also in a game that doesn't have very many post players, he's a bucket on the block. He always has been. He's for sure someone you can go to and get a bucket, especially if there's a mismatch."

Kanter will be one of a long list of centers that Stevens will have to mix and match with in a frontcourt that's suddenly full of versatility and inexperience. That's a challenge that Hayward believes the head coach will be eager to make the best in a revamped locker room.

"I think he is for sure excited about who we have as a group right now and I think he's pretty confident about what we can accomplish," Hayward said.

One month awaits until we see what the head coach has up his sleeve. Hayward remains a candidate to start or come off the bench depending on how Stevens wants to manage his rotation. If Hayward's progress this summer is any indication though, it's going to be hard to keep the small forward from reclaiming a far bigger role in 2019.