After scoring 23 points while shooting a perfect 9-of-9 from the field on Friday against the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics small forward Gordon Hayward told reporters his game and explosiveness is slowly returning.

It's been a tough season for Hayward as he makes his way back from the gruesome ankle injury he suffered last season on opening night versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But lately, the Celtics' swingman has looked like his old self and that bodes really well for the team with the playoffs right around the corner.

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“Some of it is slowly coming back, some of it is I’m more explosive and can handle the contact a little bit better, staying more on balance,” Hayward said, via Jay King of The Athletic. “It’s coming together nicely, and I have to continue to attack and get to the line.

“That’s a lot of what I did when I was in Utah. Finishing in the lane there with different types of finishes off one foot, two feet, fading back, leaning, things like that.”

Over his last seven games, Hayward is averaging 16.4 points while shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Celtics have gone 4-3 during that stretch.

It's been a roller coaster season for everyone in Boston, but the team — like Hayward — is finding its groove at the perfect time.