Gordon Hayward points fingers at 'personal agendas' for Celtics downfall in 2018-19: "We do need people to sacrifice"
Not so long ago, Gordon Hayward was part of the Boston Celtics, from 2017 to 2020. The Celtics had high hopes of going deep in the playoffs, as Danny Ainge formed an intense team with All-Stars, young promising players and veterans. However, things did not go well.
Hayward suffered a devastating season-ending injury in 2017, and the team had locker room issues to deal with. In an interview with Podcast P with Paul George, Hayward bared why the Celtics team he was a part of was not able to live up to their potential.
"In my eyes, we all had too many agendas," said Hayward. "And the agenda to win the whole thing was not the main one. Not to blame anyone either cause I think it was all human nature."
The Celtics at that time were coming off an NBA Eastern Conference trip, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They acquired Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward in free agency, making them one of the favorites to come out from the East.
Moreover, a young emerging Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, at 19 and 21 respectively, wanted to prove themselves. Terry Rozier was also part of the team but struggled for game time.
Acquiring too many stars created a problem for the Celtics, as they found themselves battling for minutes.
"They're all trying to prove like 'we've arrived'," said Hayward. "We had probably eight players that had career-highs of over 40, who were all like arguably in their prime.
"The other problem is, there was too many of us in the exact same position. We all needed the ball. We all rocked with the ball."
In the NBA, whenever teams disagree on something, a players-only meeting is called to straighten things out. For the Boston Celtics during Hayward's time, he bared that there were too many of them, but eventually what was talked about did not materialize on the court.
"We had like eight of them. At least," said Hayward. "It was one of those things that we had five players-only meetings, and things were said that were the right things, but I think it's just one ear. Like 'ok that sounds nice, and we do need people to sacrifice, but that person shouldn't be me'."
How did Gordon Hayward fare with the Boston Celtics?
Gordon Hayward played three seasons with the Boston Celtics, appearing in 125 games and starting 71. He averaged 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and assists.
In Nov. 2020, the Boston Celtics traded Gordon Hayward and second-round picks in the 2023 and 2024 draft to the Charlotte Hornets.