The quiet improvement of Gordon Hayward

After missing virtually all of last season, Gordon Hayward’s comeback hasn’t been easy. He’s been replaced as a starter, missed games with ankle sprains and soreness, and just when he was picking up steam, he lost a week to the NBA’s concussion protocol. But despite all the speed bumps on his road to recovery, Hayward is playing his best basketball with the Celtics prepping for a playoff run and could be a big part of just how long a post-season this will be.

There are many correlations to Hayward’s success and Boston’s winning games. The Celtics are 15-3 when Hayward scores 15 or more points. They’re 11-5 when he dishes out 5+ assists. Even though he’s technically coming off the bench, the…