Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward detailed the monotony of his rehab from a fractured ankle in a post to his personal blog Monday and noted how the biggest challenge is staying focused when the results aren't always obvious.
In a post entitled "The Rehab Grind," Hayward wrote how his daily exercises are "pretty monotonous, and it's not fun," but detailed the progress he has made, including now being able to shoot flat-footed on the basketball court.
"The hardest part of all of this is the mental grind," Hayward wrote. "It's a lot of time doing pretty boring things to get the slightest bit better every day, and of course, sometimes I don't get better. Sometimes I take a small step back because my ankle didn't react well to the thing that I did the day before. And so we have to walk it back a little. That's the hardest part, and the most frustrating part for sure."
Hayward got Celtics fans excited when he joined the team during its West Coast road trip last week. Hayward was filmed getting up flat-footed shots at Staples Center before the Celtics and Clippers met last Wednesday.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said the team encouraged Hayward to break up the monotony of his rehab by heading out West for a couple weeks. Hayward has a home in San Diego and traveled up to Los Angeles to spend a few days with the Celtics while the team played a back-to-back.
Asked about Hawyard's progress before Saturday's game against the Golden State Warriors, Stevens reaffirmed the team does not expect him back this season.
"He makes a lot of shots standing still. I mean, a lot. Like, he's a heck of a standstill shooter now," said Stevens, gently poking fun at the stir that video of Hayward's pregame shooting created. "And he's really good in a chair, too. But nothing new. We don't anticipate him being back this season."
Hayward, who fractured his left ankle on opening night in Cleveland, has had notable milestones in recent months. He got out of his walking boot in mid-December, then shed a smaller brace a couple weeks ago. In his blog, Hawyard noted, "The act of walking finally feels normal. That's really nice."
But Hayward also wrote about how he remains limited in what he can do a little more than three months since the injury.
"The next phase of my progression is to be able to do a single-leg calf raise, and do repetitions of it, and not have fatigue or any pain or anything," Hayward wrote. "And so, that's kind of where I'm at, like slowly progressing on the [weight-altering] AlterG [treadmill]. I started at like 30 percent of my body weight, doing a single-leg calf raise. And now we're slowly up to like 70 percent, 75 percent. And so, I'm almost there, being able to do a single-leg calf raise. Once I am able to do that, then I can do the elliptical. And once I'm cleared doing the elliptical for a certain time and distance, then I'm able to start running."
Hayward noted how he now attends most home games but does rehab work inside the Celtics' locker room during game action. Stevens said last week that Hayward might travel with the team more often starting in early March.
Hayward wrote that, despite the frustrations, "you have to keep pushing," and noted how support on social media has helped him through the tougher days.
The Celtics entered Monday's action with a 35-15 record and are clinging to a one-game lead atop the Eastern Conference. The team has struggled offensively recently, and Hayward's absence has been more obvious than when the team ripped off 16 straight wins shortly after his injury.
The way the Celtics have thrived without Hayward has resonated with others around the NBA.
"I was devastated for [Hayward] and I'm happy to see he's recovering well. Their recovery, as a team, without him has been amazing," said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. "Two losses to start the year and then they just took off. Obviously, a very well-coached team, a lot of talent, and they play well together. Biggest thing is that they are the best defensive team in the league. They are playing with a purpose every night."
