During Boston’s two-game visit in New York, we’ve heard rumblings of Gordon Hayward’s impending return to the lineup. On Friday, Hayward even suggested being “ahead of schedule.” Three weeks ago, he left a November 9th game in San Antonio with a broken hand and after successful surgery, the team announced a six-week recovery timetable. He’s traveled with the team on this mini-road trip and Stevens said, “they just did a bunch of up-and-down where basically (they ran) 5-on-0 stuff, so that’s good.” On Monday, he’ll talk to doctors assessing his next steps.
In his absence, the Celtics have sputtered of late and have salvaged a 6-4 record, with three players stepping up in particular: Brad Wanamaker, Semi Ojeleye, and Enes Kanter.