Thursday 29 August 2019 11:26, UK
Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward said free agency signing Kemba Walker is a "game-changer" who will have a major impact on the team's 2019-20 season.
After spending his first eight NBA seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Walker signed a four-year, $141m contract with the Celtics during free agency. The All-Star guard fills the void left by Kyrie Irving, who left Boston to join the Brooklyn Nets.
Speaking at the Celtics practice facility where he has been training throughout the summer, Hayward said he was excited about Walker's arrival and expects him to have a major influence on Boston's season.
"It's like the most interesting part of the league is the drama that happens every offseason, where you're having major guys moving teams it seems like every summer," he said.
"With Kyrie leaving, we are going to miss him and his abilities and we wish him the best of luck as he goes to Brooklyn but we are excited about who we have coming in. We're more than excited to welcome Kemba [Walker], Enes [Kanter] and the other guys that are new for us. I've seen the rookies around too and I'm really impressed with their work ethic.
"[Kemba is] a veteran guy and [I think he will provide] some leadership. He is somebody who is a game-changer with his quickness and probing in the lane. He is able to find seams a lot of guys can't because of his speed. Obviously with his scoring ability, we'll lean on him a lot for sure."
Walker is one of four Boston players on US team in China about to begin their defence of the FIBA World Cup. Hayward thinks Walker, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown playing together on Team USA will be of benefit for Celtics when the 2019-20 season gets underway.
"I think it's really cool for us to have four guys on the team representing the US," he said. "For sure, it's early stages for some bonding and some chemistry-building. Hopefully they bring back the gold."
While his team-mates hope to shine on the global stage in China, Hayward has spent his summer building himself back up to the player who became an All-Star in his final season with the Utah Jazz in 2016-17.
Hayward signed with the Celtics as a free agent in the summer of 2017 but suffered a horrific ankle injury five minutes into his regular-season debut. He missed the rest of the season.
Returning to the court after 12 months of rehab, Hayward played 72 games last season but was primarily used as a sixth man limited to 25 minutes per game.
The desire to get back to his best form informed Hayward's decision to spend his summer in Boston working with the team.
"I've been in Boston all summer," he said. "It was important for me to stay here and work with the staff, they know exactly where I was at at the end of [last] season and I wanted to build off that and also work with the coaches and get ready for the upcoming year.
"I'm back to no restrictions which feels really nice, being back to training how I am used to training and not having to worry about only doing something for 10 minutes or only doing a certain amount of reps. And not having to worry about surgery. It has been really good from that standpoint.
"[The biggest priority is] building back some confidence, being able to do everything I am used to doing, just having the reps.
"The reps are what gives you confidence. Being able to do things over and over and over and not having to worry about how my ankle is feeling or having to be cautious with it has been good for my confidence."
