Gordon Hayward says he hopes ‘more than anything’ he can return from injury this season

Hayward isn’t expected to return this season, but if his rehab is ahead of schedule, the Celtics could get a star back on the court at the right time.

After fracturing his tibia and dislocating his ankle just a minute into his first game as a member of the Boston Celtics, Gordon Hayward says he is hopeful he will be able to return this season, so long as he is better than 100 percent healthy.

“It’s definitely in the back of my mind,” Hayward said to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach about the idea of returning this season. “I’m definitely pushing to get back as fast as I can, while making sure that I still have a lot of good years of basketball in me. And coming back early and hurting something else is not part of that plan. So I’m making sure that if I come back, I’m 1,000 percent confident in myself and my leg. I hope more than anything I can play this season. That would be awesome. But that’s not something I’m stressing about. I’m stressing about what I can do today to help myself get better.”

Hayward signed a four-year, $128 million deal to join the Celtics as a free agent last summer. He was expected to be the third piece next to Kyrie Irving and Al Horford that turned Boston into a legitimate challenger to the Cleveland Cavaliers for top dog in the East.

But Hayward suffered a freak injury in Boston’s regular season opener, colliding with LeBron James in midair before an awful landing dislocated his ankle and fractured his tibia in one of the most gruesome nationally televised incidents the NBA has seen in recent memory.

Hayward has since underwent surgery and is rehabbing his ankle. The Celtics have jumped out to the second-best record in the NBA, at one point running off 16 straight wins with Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum sharing the duties at the wing.

It is still unclear if Hayward will be able to return to the court this season. As a matter of fact, it’s unlikely. But if he does reach 1000 percent confidence in his leg and returns to action, Boston could get even scarier when the playoffs come around.