Gordon Hayward dunked off his left foot and ‘it was good’
“I’ve been waiting since last July 4th, so I’m ready.”
It’s shaping up to be a pretty good week for Celtics forward Gordon Hayward.
NBA training camps opened on Tuesday, inching Boston closer to the start of Celtics season. Celtics fans are itching to get their first glimpses of Hayward on the court after his debut last year was tragically cut short when he suffered a broken fibula and a dislocated ankle just five minutes into the season opener.
Hayward’s every move during his journey to recovery has been pretty thoroughly documented thanks to outlets such as his blog, and Celtics fans have kept a close eye on his health, especially with the season right around the corner.
Reports coming out of Day 1 at Celtics training camp revealed that Hayward is back and doing better– pictures of the 28-year-old dunking during a scrimmage emerged on Twitter, and it was confirmed that Hayward plans to be on the court for Friday’s preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets.
That poor rim… pic.twitter.com/WuTl0usuQx
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 25, 2018
“I dunked off my left foot today, so that was nice,” Hayward said after the scrimmage. “Coach Stevens said something in front of everybody, so it was good. I think it’s still not there yet, I mean all the way. I think that’s going to be the last piece and it’ll come slowly throughout the year with more and more playing and doing it.”
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens also coached Hayward in college at Butler University, and noted “I can probably count on my hand the number of times I’ve seen him jump off the left foot and dunk.”
While both Hayward recognizes that it’ll take some time for him to regain his rhythm completely, he’s more eager than anything to step onto the court this Friday.
“I’ve been waiting since last July 4th,” he said, referring to the day he announced he’d be going to Boston. “So I’m ready.”
