Saturday, October 20 - Celtics at Knicks
Pregame – Baynes Replaces Resting Hayward in Starting Lineupa
NEW YORK – So it wasn’t planned after all.
The Boston Celtics announced this afternoon that Gordon Hayward would rest tonight in New York on the second night of a back-to-back. Many, including this author, believed this to be a pre-determined portion of Hayward’s recovery plan set forth by Boston’s medical staff. However, prior tip-off against the Knicks, Brad Stevens revealed that this was not a planned off-day for the forward who is returning to game action after missing a year with a broken left ankle.
“Just had a little soreness this morning,” Stevens revealed. “Nothing big, but they (the medical staff) all chose that rest was the best option.”
Hayward was coming off of a strong performance Friday night in Toronto, where he looked like himself for multiple stretches. He finished that game with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists, all of which were improvements from his opening-night numbers.
Stevens was clear in emphasizing that Hayward’s soreness is not setting off any alarms within Boston’s locker room. It’s just a part of his return to basketball.
“It’s general soreness, so [we’re] not overly concerned about it,” he said.
Stevens had a pool of subs from which to choose that included Aron Baynes, Marcus Morris, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier. With Enes Kanter, who has been a pain in Boston’s side since joining the Knicks, starting for New York, Stevens is opting to replace Hayward with Baynes.
During his first season with New York last season, Kanter averaged 14.0 points, 14.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game during four matchups with Boston. He also made 60 percent of his field goal attempts during those contests.
Baynes is Boston’s largest defender, and he led the league last season in defensive rating. He is clearly the best option to match up with Kanter in the paint.
Although Hayward’s absence is not expected to be a regular occurrence this season, it does give the C’s their first opportunity to adjust on the fly with a new starting lineup. Stevens said before the season that he will not be shy about altering his starting lineup to better position the Celtics to beat any given opponent.
Tonight in New York, with Hayward out and Baynes in, the first such instance will arrive.
- Marc D'Amico