A mix of analysis and observations from Day 2 of Celtics training camp at the Auerbach Center in Brighton.
Gordon Hayward is turning heads
Brad Stevens has seen the work Gordon Hayward has put in all summer after moving his family to Boston for the offseason so he could get in workouts at the Auerbach Center. Still, the head coach was careful with his words in overhyping the former All-Star forward's performance so far during training camp.
“The investment’s been well-documented over the summer,” Stevens said. “And you can see it. You can see it.”
Other observers at training camp were not as modest on Wednesday however, declaring how solid the 29-year-old Hayward has looked in his second full day of action. With a fully healthy offseason under his belt for the first time in three years, the swingman has hit the ground running this October.
“He’s back. He’s 100 percent back,” said Enes Kanter, who played with Hayward in Utah. “A lot of people just said, ‘Oh, if he’s 100 percent he’ll be back or not.’ He’s going to shock the world this year. I trust him and I believe he’s going to do some amazing things, on and off the court.”
Kanter spent three years with Hayward in Utah at the beginning of his career. While both guys have been apart for the past four seasons, Kanter has admired how Hayward has put the work in to get himself closer to his old form. That progress is rubbing off on teammates in his first two practices, according to the center.
“He’s done an unbelievable job, man,” Kanter said. “I mean, he's the type of guy that not making himself better, it makes everybody else better around him. That's what makes him really special. Gordon, he is a good dude, good friend, good locker room guy. It’s a blast to play with a guy like that on your team.”
Even a more neutral observer in former UConn coach Jim Calhoun, who attended practice along with scores of other college and high school coaches, couldn’t help but bring up Hayward while speaking about what he saw.
“Today I liked Gordon Hayward making shots,” he said. “That’s a good deal… he’s a great player, and he really knows how to play.”
After an uneven 2018-19 season, it’s safe to be skeptical of any Hayward reviews in the early going but the third-year Celtic finally feels comfortable in green, both from a physical and mental standpoint.
“I feel good. The past few days have been great,” Hayward explained. “The body feels 100 percent. It's been really good getting out there back with the guys, playing 5-on-5.”
The Celtics are going to need Hayward at his best to make any kind of noise in the Eastern Conference this year, so this type of news out of camp is encouraging for the team’s prospects in the early going.
Jim Calhoun sheds more light on Kemba Walker
The former UConn head coach was in the building and spent several minutes catching up with his former star after the practice session. Calhoun spoke with Walker during his decision-making process over the past summer and shed some additional light on Walker’s decision to sign with the C’s.
“What Kemba does well is lead,” Calhoun said. “Even though he’s only an eight-year veteran, he’s a hungry guy and he wants to win. I know talking to him last season, What’s going to make your mind up? Because it’s your decision. And we’d talk a lot, and he says, ‘Winning.’ I want to win. I’m at that point in my career. God’s been good and I’ve made a lot of money, but I want to win and I think he’s here to win. That’s his whole goal, to win.”
While Walker was weighing serious offers from the likes of Dallas in the lead up from free agency, the chance of making some noise in the Eastern Conference stood out, along with the reputation of the head coach.
“I think he balanced his factors,” Calhoun said. “He knew about Brad, I knew about Brad -- coached against Brad. He knew who the coach was, knew Danny. He knew what the Celtics represented. ... That was the number one thing he kept mentioning. He mentioned about winning, and when you talk to guys three or four times, you get a dominant theme. His dominant theme was about winning.”
The adjustment period for Walker will be a bit drastic at first after spending his first eight years in Charlotte but Calhoun is confident that he will be able to learn quickly in his new system and help the Celtics make some noise in the East.
“Once he learns the reads – it’s the same stuff that most NBA players run, but with different plays – he’ll get a much better feel where he doesn’t have to think about what he’s doing. And plus, he did have a longer summer than a lot of people. And so, therefore, I think Hayward becomes a big key, I certainly think that Tatum and Brown… I mean you’ve got four guys who, in my opinion, could be potential All-Stars. Two of them already have been, so there’s a pretty good chance of that. And if they can get good inside play – Kanter’s a nice rebounder and a tough guy – they certainly could be a good team.”
Other news and notes
- Romeo Langford did not take part in live scrimmaging due to a tweaked groin.
- Former Kings coach Dave Joerger was present again in camp as an observer.
- Brad Stevens is pleased with the play of the rookies thus far: “I’ve seen a lot of good things. They’ve added a bunch. Carsen hit a bunch of shots in the scrimmages the last two days, Grant’s been very solid. I think all those guys – Romeo, Tacko, Tremont, Max – they’ve all done good things. Probably not as advanced as our older guys, as you would expect, but the first two days have shown a lot of real promise. Those guys have worked hard in our small group work to get ready to practice before the season. Hopefully, that pays off when you get out here with an NBA team.”