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NBA Season Preview 2018-19: 5 ways everything goes right for the Celtics

By Cody Rivera

CANTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 24: From left, Boston Celtics' Jayson Taytum, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford pose for a team photo on Boston Celtics media day in Canton, MA on Sep. 24, 2018. (Photo by Michael Swensen for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
CANTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 24: From left, Boston Celtics' Jayson Taytum, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford pose for a team photo on Boston Celtics media day in Canton, MA on Sep. 24, 2018. (Photo by Michael Swensen for The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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CANTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 24: Gordon Hayward #20 answers questions during a press conference on Boston Celtics Media Day on September 24, 2018 in Canton, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
CANTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 24: Gordon Hayward #20 answers questions during a press conference on Boston Celtics Media Day on September 24, 2018 in Canton, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

5. Gordon Hayward makes a full recovery from broken ankle

There wasn’t a more stunning moment for Celtics fans last season than when Gordon Hayward was on the ground in Cleveland with his foot essentially twisted sideways. It came just five minutes into the season opener, and suddenly it appeared like Boston’s season was already over.

Hayward has spent nearly an entire year rehabbing that ankle. He’s had multiple surgeries, and it was only in recent months that he’s finally gotten back on the basketball court. He’s expected to be a superstar for the Celtics, just like he was with the Utah Jazz for the first seven years of his career.

But there’s always a catch when a player suffers a serious injury: the possibility that they won’t make a full recovery. Hayward might physically be back on the court, but will his ankle be the same that it was before? Will he be able to move his feet on the court the same way he did before? Could it have a prolonged effect on his jump shot?

Just look at Derrick Rose. Prior to the 2012 playoffs, he was the best point guard in the league while with the Chicago Bulls. Then he tore his ACL in the first game of the playoffs, and ever since then he hasn’t been the same player. Not even close.

In order for Hayward to be the player Boston needs him to be, he has to make a 100 percent recovery from that gruesome injury.

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