Brad Stevens on Gordon Hayward: ‘He’s not playing this year’

HOUSTON — The Celtics have consistently insisted that they do not expect injured forward Gordon Hayward to return this season. But on Saturday, when asked about the Players’ Tribune video posted Friday that showed Hayward taking jump shots, coach Brad Stevens issued perhaps the first definitive statement on the issue.

“He’s not playing this year,’’ Stevens said. “I don’t know what else to say.’’

Stevens went on to say that Hayward is progressing. He said that on Saturday morning Hayward did a workout on an anti-gravity treadmill that was set at 60 percent of his body weight. And he said it is important to document these steps, however small they might be.