The 2018–2019 NBA season is right around the corner and the Boston Celtics are ready to finally be at full health for once. There was so much hype and buzz surrounding them at the start of last year, and it all came crashing down five minutes in after Gordon Hayward went down. Credit to the rest of the team, they played great and were competitive even after Kyrie Irving went down as well. After going all the way to game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals without both Irving and Hayward, the expectations are much higher now, especially with LeBron James in the west on the Lakers.
Hayward was recently interviewed and asked about his health for the upcoming season. He said that he is essentially at full health and has been actively participating in 5-on-5 games at practices with his teammates. In the interview with Chris Forsberg of ESPN, Hayward said: ”I would say I’m basically 100 percent. There’s certain things that I think are going to take time, even if I was 100 percent healthy. I’m not 100 percent as far as basketball-wise, just because I haven’t played in a year. I’m trying to figure those things out. The last step for me as far as from a physical standpoint is a little explosion, that little last juice bounce that you get. So that’s going to take me the longest time. But like I said, for the most part, I feel very good.” This is definitely good news for Celtics fans, as I’m sure many of them were a bit nervous he would not be ready to go right from the jump this year. 
My main take away from Hayward’s comments is when he says, “I’m not 100 percent as far as basketball-wise.” To me, in other words, he is saying although he is physically back to normal, he is not completely ready mentally. After jumping up towards the hoop and coming down so gruesomely, that has to be on his mind every single time he leaves his feet on a basketball court. When he goes up for a dunk, it must be the main thought in his head and must be a constant worry. That obviously is going to take a toll on his game and affect it negatively, at least at first. It would be unreasonable to expect him to return to the floor and go back to being himself, so I just hope he can overcome the difficulties that he will be faced with.
With the emergence of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the pressure will certainly be less on Hayward. Rather than having to score 20 or more points a game in order for the Celtics to have success, he will be able to ease into his offensive game. As long as he can get back to shooting well, playing tough defense, and having a high basketball IQ, he will be just fine. The mental aspect will eventually figure itself out in time as long as he is playing. His role on the Celtics has definitely changed since he signed here last summer, but let’s see if he can get back to the player he once was.