Gordon Hayward said he feels ‘ahead of schedule’ on his return
The forward has been out three weeks with a fractured left hand.
Gordon Hayward may be back on the court sooner than expected.
Prior to the Celtics’ Friday afternoon matchup in Brooklyn against the Nets, Hayward gave a positive update to reporters about his fractured left hand, saying he feels like he is progressing well on the initial return timetable of 6-8 weeks.
“I feel like I’m ahead of schedule,” Hayward said. “I mean, it’s hard to say with these things exactly what the timeline is. But, like I said, I feel good, and most importantly I’ve been able to continue with my leg work and stuff like that, so that’s really important.”
Hayward fractured his left hand against San Antonio on Nov. 9 and had surgery shortly after. The 29-year old forward did not give a date on when he would return.
“It’s kind of hard to put an exact timetable on some of these things, because some of it is, once the bone has healed, how much pain can you handle and how does your hand respond to workouts or getting hit a little bit, different things like that,” Hayward said. “So I think I’m doing really well so far, and hopefully that can continue.”
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reported Saturday Hayward participated in 5-on-0 portions of practice and that his next update will come on Monday after a FaceTime consultation with his doctor.
Gordon Hayward participated in some 5-on-0 portions of practice today. Brad Stevens says he still can’t participate in contact practice, but Hayward’s next update on his status will come after a FaceTime consultation with his doctor Monday.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 30, 2019
Gordon Hayward said the consultation with his doctor Monday will determine whether he can advance to participating in contact practices. Hayward has been shooting without anything on his left hand for days now and looks great. Celtics certainly can’t wait to have him back.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 30, 2019
Before the injury, Hayward averaged 18.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in eight games.
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