Danny Ainge created a buzz on social media earlier this week when he shared a photo of Gordon Hayward without a brace on his ankle, but the Celtics general manager says fans still need to temper their expectations.
In an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Rich Show” Thursday morning, Ainge said any talk of Hayward returning this season is still very premature.
Danny Ainge on @985TheSportsHub on Gordon Hayward picture: "He's NOT good to go. Way too early to talk about that or even consider that. He's got a long, long way to go before he even gets on a court and starts doing real basketball activities. I was seriously just having fun."
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 11, 2018
More from Danny Ainge on Gordon Hayward: "The 3-month mark was the time to get out of the brace and to start walking. We've been holding Gordon back but he's officially out of the brace now, so that was good news." #Celtics https://t.co/OJOA1VggWj
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 11, 2018
Danny Ainge on Gordon Hayward on @985TheSportsHub: "Of course he wants to [play], but that conversation has not happened and will not happen for a long time. We're putting no pressure. We want Gordon healthy. Our mindset is still he's gonna play next year. Nothing has changed."
— Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) January 11, 2018
Here’s the tweet Ainge sent that Celtics fans couldn’t help but get excited about:
USA swimmer @smeathers5 (no muscle) coached by Celtic great @gordonhayward (no brace) lost a devastating race to Australian swimmer @stephen_mount today. No rematch is scheduled nor will be. #swimmersneedmuscles pic.twitter.com/lxTD4UqiIB
— Danny Ainge (@danielrainge) January 9, 2018
Hayward’s response to the tweet only made the Green Teamers more giddy:
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) January 9, 2018
Hayward suffered a horrific broken leg five minutes into his first season with the Celtics. He said in November that he will not be able to play this season, but his tone seems to have changed a bit in the past month. While that could mean his recovery is coming along better than expected, the Celtics gave the 27-year-old a max contract this past offseason. They are thinking long-term, which means they aren’t going to bring Hayward back until he is 100 percent healthy and there’s no risk of a setback.
