There are no players in the NBA more excited to get the 2018-19 season underway than Boston Celtics' star Gordon Hayward. After deciding to leave the Utah Jazz last offseason in free agency to sign with the Celtics and reunite with Brad Stevens, he suffered a gruesome ankle injury in his first regular season appearance.

Now, Hayward is back and ready to take the court for his “new” team once again. His wife had a message for opponents ahead of the Celtics' preseason opener, as relayed by NBC Sports Boston.

Can anyone truly blame her for being a bit nervous about her husband getting back on the court? Hayward's injury was not something that players come back from easily. It was painful and it took a lot of time for him to even get back on his feet to live a normal life away from the game.

Hayward ended up playing 23 minutes throughout the course of the game. He scored 10 points to go along with three rebounds and an assist. Mrs. Hayward may need to find some people, as Hayward did go to the free throw line seven times.

Boston is without question the team to beat in the Eastern Conference with LeBron James no longer in Cleveland. Danny Ainge has put together an All-Star squad of sorts with Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown leading the way.

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If Hayward can come back at full strength and get back to where he was before the injury, the Celtics are going to be a lot better than they were even last season.

Expect to see Hayward continue to improve over the next few weeks as he gets used to the tough NBA game once again. Boston brought him in to be a leader for their young roster and they should be excited to have him back on the court.