Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward suffered a nasty ankle injury on opening night last season. As a result, he was ruled out for the remainder of that campaign. Now, after months of rehab, the former Butler Bulldog is well enough to play, but it sounds like his minutes will be limited at first.

Following Monday's practice session, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens noted that Hayward will play somewhere around 25 minutes per game to start the season.

Hayward also dealt with a back injury this preseason.

Hayward, now 28 years of age, noted that sitting out last season was the hardest part of his rehabilitation process.

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“It was the most difficult thing I’ve done,” Hayward said, via Brian Robb of BostonSportsJournal.com. “The hardest part of this process has been the mental challenges.”

Fans in Beantown are excited for Hayward's return — for good reason. The former No. 9 overall pick holds career averages of 15.6 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the field (36.8 percent from beyond the arc), 4.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and a steal in 31.3 minutes per outing.

Hayward isn't the only Celtic returning to the lineup this season. Kyrie Irving, who missed quite a bit of time last season with knee issues, is also back from injury. Both sat out of Boston's preseason finale on Saturday as a precautionary measure, but they should be good to go.

The Celtics kick off the 2018-19 regular season with a highly touted matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off inside TD Garden is set for 8:00 p.m. ET with TNT having live broadcast coverage.