If you didn’t already know, Kyrie Irving loves Gordon Hayward. Irving tried to recruit Hayward to Cleveland when he played for the Cavs, but LeBron James shut down that move fairly quickly. Oddly enough, Irving and Hayward would find their way to play together with the Celtics. Bad luck struck when Hayward broke his ankle just five minutes into the season. Irving has been doing his best to keep the Celtics afloat but there’s no doubt Irving misses Hayward.
Irving said the following on ESPN’s basketball program the Jump:
“I don’t want him to rush back. We need him for years to come. It would be great if he came back this year. Hell, I miss him so much. He knows that. I just want him to do what’s best for him.”
Irving has done well on his own right in his first year with the Celtics. Boston holds the second seed in the Eastern Conference and Irving is about to head to LA as an All-Star starter. Irving, 25, is averaging 24.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Irving has also been super efficient playing with one of the youngest teams in the league. Irving is shooting 48.6 percent from the floor and just a shade under 40 percent from 3-point range.
If there is one thing that is clear, Boston needs Hayward to reach that coveted Banner 18. Hayward signed a max deal with the Celtics this offseason and was expected to be the 2nd option in Boston. Hayward is no slouch making the Western Conference All-Star team with the Jazz last year. Will Hayward come back this year? Probably, not. However, there may be a blessing in disguise here for the Celtics as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have gotten serious minutes in his absence. That young duo appears to have a special future ahead of themselves.
