Boston Celtics: With Gordon Hayward back to form, are the C’s the class of the East?
If the Boston Celtics can weather the storm without Gordon Hayward, this is a team that could win the East this season
Through the first eight games of the season, you could make the argument that the Boston Celtics have been the best team in the NBA. Boston is the only team in the NBA that has a top 5 offensive (110.4) and defensive rating (101.1), and lead the league in net rating (9.3).
One of the biggest reasons for their superb play this season has to fall on the shoulders of Gordon Hayward, who has looked a lot like his former all-star self.
Through the first eight games of the season, in which the Celtics have posted a 7-1 record, Hayward is averaging 19 points, seven rebounds, and four assists per game. He’s also shooting a career-high 56 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range.
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In addition to Hayward’s resurgence, Kemba Walker has shaken off a slow start and is now leading the team in scoring with 25 points per game to go along with his five rebounds and five assists per contest. Both Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown have also taken a step in their progression, averaging 21 and 19 points per game, respectively.
Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter are both averaging double-digit scoring and the former has been a rock on the defensive end.
Stevens is clicking all the right buttons and is, once again, manning one of the most stingy defenses in the NBA. His offense is humming and the Celtics are once again playing the team-style basketball that gave the rest of the league headaches during their deep playoff runs a few years back.
Despite their impressive start to the season, there is one big obstacle that this team is going to have to clear over the next month or so. Hayward, who had gotten off to a red-hot start, is expected to miss at least the next few weeks after taking a rough fall and breaking his left hand in a game over the weekend against the San Antonio Spurs.
While it will be a huge hit to their depth, if there’s any team that will be able to weather the loss of a player like Hayward it’s going to be these Celtics. They’re deep and have one of the best coaches in the NBA – despite what NBA Twitter may say.
Sure, the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers have the more star power on their respective rosters. However, this is where Stevens has excelled as a head coach – when his teams have been overlooked and counted out.
If the Celtics can survive the next few weeks without Hayward, you’d have to consider this Boston team a real threat to win the top seed in the Eastern Conference this season. What they do in the playoffs is a different story. Though, it’d be quite the turnaround for a team that lost Kyrie Irving and Al Horford – arguably their two best players – during the offseason.
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Perhaps Brad Stevens finally has the right mix of all-stars and young role players on his roster to maximize his skill-set as a coach. If so, the rest of the East should be on alert. The Boston Celtics appear to be the real deal.