Celtics' Gordon Hayward to have surgery on fractured hand
Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward will have surgery on his left hand Monday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Boston’s Gordon Hayward will undergo surgery on his fractured left hand today, agent Mark Bartelstein tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 11, 2019
The surgery is in New York, per Wojnarowski, and a timeline on his recovery will be announced after it’s completed. Hayward fractured his hand Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs late in the first half and did not return.
Here is the play during which Hayward fractured his hand, while being screened by LaMarcus Aldridge. pic.twitter.com/X0mXYlyh5k
— Marc D'Amico (@Marc_DAmico) November 9, 2019
It’s another setback for the 29-year-old Hayward, who suffered a bad leg injury in October 2017 during his debut with the Celtics. He returned for the 2018-19 season and averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 72 games.
Hayward has been even better early this season without Kyrie Irving and Al Horford on the roster. He was averaging 20.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game heading into the Spurs contest.
While there is no timetable for his return, coach Brad Stevens told the media he expects the star to be out at least a few weeks.
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry also underwent surgery on a broken hand this month and is officially ruled out three months.
The Celtics (7-1) are first in the Eastern Conference with a top 5 offensive and defensive rating. They’ll now rely on fellow top performers 21-year-old Jayson Tatum, newcomer Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown to keep things afloat assuming Hayward is back for another run at the conference title.
More from Yahoo Sports: