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Celtics forward Gordon Hayward has struggled to find his footing since returning from a devastating ankle injury. Opponents are noting his ineffectiveness.
Appearing on a CLNS podcast, NBA insider Jeff Goodman said a Warriors player described Hayward to him as a liability on both ends of the floor.
"I talked to a Warriors player who told me, ‘listen, Gordon Hayward is not Gordon Hayward right now,'" Goodman said. "'He's hurting them. He's a liability on both ends of the court.'"
Hayward delivered one of his worst games of the year in Saturday's 115-111 loss to Golden State, scoring just two points on 0-for-5 shooting, including a missed layup. An All-Star two years ago in Utah while averaging nearly 22 points a game, Hayward is averaging just 10.8 points a game this year while shooting just .420 from the field and .317 on 3-pointers.
The anonymous Warriors quote comes on the heels of an ESPN report that Boston's young players have become frustrated by Hayward's presence blocking them from playing time. Per Tim Bontemps:
That status is precisely why, despite the many ups and downs his season has gone through so far, the Celtics continue to run Hayward out there for significant minutes on a nightly basis. That decision, at times, has frustrated the younger members of the team, who see Hayward as an impediment to the roles they grew accustomed to.
The Celtics maintain the party line that they'll need the old Hayward to arrive by the end of the season to have their best shot at a title. But with the season more than half over, he's nowhere near that form, and time is running out.