It has been a long road back for Gordon Hayward after he missed all but five minutes of last season with a broken ankle. Hayward is now gearing up for his official return, and he “100 percent” plans to be ready to roll for the beginning of the 2018-19 season, according to The Athletic's Jay King.

Hayward spoke to reporters Thursday to talk about his recovery, revealing that he's just about at 100 percent physically and has been playing five-on-five with zero restrictions for a couple of weeks. The 28-year-old plans to get action in the preseason to complete his rehab and be ready for the games to really matter.

Hayward has been itching to get back out on the floor since that fateful night in Cleveland last season. He suffered the broken ankle when he landed awkwardly on an alley-oop attempt.

The Celtics were able to overcome Hayward's injury thanks largely to the quick development of fellow wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, plus the All-Star play of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford. Boston wound up winning 55 games and falling one win shy of the NBA Finals despite not having Hayward or Irving for the entirety of the postseason.

With Hayward and Irving back in the fold, the Celtics are primed to rule the Eastern Conference. Brad Stevens will have to figure out his rotations with so much talent in place, but that will also help Hayward ease back into the lineup slowly. Hayward may not put up quite the prolific numbers he did in his final season with the Utah Jazz, but his presence will help push Boston to another level.