Getty Images Gordon Hayward driving to the hoop.
The Boston Celtics decided they were going to make a bit of a change not too long before tipoff on Monday night. As the Celtics traveled to Charlotte to take on the Hornets, there were a ton of questions for Boston’s head coach, Brad Stevens. Many were wondering if a change would be coming to the starting lineup after the slow start to the season.
While Stevens denied any potential changes, it looks like he suddenly changed his mind on Monday. It looks like the Celtics are going to attempt to roll with the starting lineup that they played with all throughout last season when Hayward was out with an injury. Only this time, he will be coming off of the bench.
Many expected a slow start could come from Hayward as he is still shaking off the rust from last year, but nobody really thought it would take this long for him to hit his stride. Is he still feeling under one-hundred percent? Is he just not gelling in his role with the Celtics? It’s all unclear. But one thing is for sure – the Celtics needed to figure something out and make a change.
Hayward Sent to the Bench
Aron Baynes starting in place of Gordon Hayward. Looks like @Scalabrine was right! @celtics
For the first time since March of the 2013 NBA season, Hayward will come off of the bench. As he is currently only averaging 10 points-per-game, with three APG, and 5 RPG, it’s clear that his contributions aren’t exactly at a championship-caliber level that the Celtics expect him to be at. But it’s not like Hayward’s move to the bench will cause any issues though between the player and the coaching staff.
Last week, Hayward was open to the idea of being moved into a new role, that doesn’t require him to start. While the Celtics didn’t seem all that interested at first, they finally decided that a change was needed. Now, Aron Baynes will see the starting lineup along with an increase in his minutes. Last season, Baynes averaged 18 minutes-per-game. So, even though Hayward won’t start, he will probably see a significant amount of time still.