UPDATE: Gordon Hayward had surgery Monday to repair a fracture to his fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand (the bone that connects the wrist to the ring finger), the team announced Monday evening.
The good news is Hayward will only be out six weeks, which should have him back just before, or right around, Christmas.
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How good would Gordon Hayward be if he could just stay healthy?
Hopefully we will find out someday, but probably not for the next couple of months after his agent told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN that Hayward will have surgery on his non-shooting hand to repair a broken bone.
Boston’s Gordon Hayward will undergo surgery on his fractured left hand today, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 11, 2019
Hayward will undergo surgery in New York this afternoon, a timeline on his return will come after the procedure, Bartelstein of @PrioritySports tells ESPN. https://t.co/sAEud7CXTL
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 11, 2019
There will be no official timeline for recovery until after the surgery, but after going under the knife Hayward is likely out at least six weeks. Stephen Curry is out three months after surgery on his non-shooting hand (that is a different injury, but it shows how long the timeline can be).
The play where the injury happened was innocuous.
According to the Celtics: Gordon Hayward has been diagnosed with a left hand fracture. Here's the play where it happened: pic.twitter.com/Vwd3FpJsfS
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 9, 2019
Even so, it has left Boston with some big questions to answer through New Year’s Eve, or whenever Hayward returns. Hayward was having a bounce-back year, averaging 18.9 points per game, shooting 43.3 percent from three, pulling down 7.1 rebounds and dishing out 4.1 assists per game. He’s been a critical playmaker for the Celtics.
Stevens on Hayward absence: "When he plays the way he’s been playing, everyone notices the stats, but it’s the simple reads and passes that we have to make up for when he’s not here."
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) November 11, 2019
For Boston, this likely means a lot more Marcus Smart, Semi Ojeleye, and maybe Javonte Green.