Boston Celtics star Gordon Hayward is still progressing from the gruesome leg and ankle injury that transpired in the first game of last season. There still isn't exactly a timetable for when Hayward should be completely back, but his latest highlight reel shows that he might be getting close.

Hayward seems to be moving better laterally and he still has that silky smooth jump shot that will light teams up from deep. Hayward also told the Boston Globe that he is able to dunk the ball again without pain.

“I dunked the basketball for the first time off my left foot without pain last week,” Hayward told the Boston Globe Thursday night in Boston. “That felt awesome. I went into it very soft and gingerly, and after I did it, I was like, ‘OK, that didn’t hurt it all.’ I did it again, and it felt good.”

The next step for Hayward is to continue to build up strength and get comfortable on the court doing all the moves that are required.

Hayward says that every time he does try to do something new, he does get nervous and might do it at 100 percent right away because he wants to protect his ankle.

“Leading up to doing something new, I think I’m anxious and nervous a little bit, and, subconsciously, I think a little scared,” he said. “A lot of times when I do something new, I think I like to just protect [my ankle], and I don’t go as hard as I probably could. After I do something a couple times, my brain and my body kind of tells me, ‘OK, it’s fine. You can do this again.’ The bone is strong, everything is strong, and then it takes a little bit, but then it’s kind of normal.”

With the progress that Hayward has made it shouldn't be long before he is completely cleared all contact and with the season only a few months away that has to be good news for the Celtics.