That’s according to 1993 MVP winner Charles Barkley, who believes they will be hard pushed to even finish in the top four in the Eastern Conference.
Hayward was making his debut for the Celtics in this evening’s NBA season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And his night was cut short after he broke his ankle in gruesome images.
The small forward went up for an alley-ooo pass and collapsed awkwardly on the floor after colliding with LeBron James in the air.
Medical staff immediately rushed to his aid while his fellow peers were visibly affected by what they had seen.
Hayward was acquired in the summer as Danny Ainge looked to build more pieces to battle the Cavaliers for a spot in the NBA Finals.
But former Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns star Barkley believes Hayward’s injury will extremely hamper the Celtics’ season
“Their season is now over,” Barkley said on NBA on TNT.
“We knew going into the season it was the Cavaliers, the Celtics , the Wizards and Toronto.
“Now it’s going to be very difficult for the Celtics to be in the top four or five.”
And fellow NBA on TNT pundit Shaquille O’Neal echoed Barkley’s comments.
“I have to agree with Chuck,” O’Neal said.
“When they got all those guys, they were contenders.”