PHILADELPHIA -- Wanting to aid Gordon Hayward's recovery in whatever way possible, Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is already brainstorming ways to keep the injured All-Star active and engaged throughout the process.

The day after Hayward's gruesome ankle injury, Stevens called Frank Vogel for advice on how to approach the rehab. Vogel, now the Orlando Magic head coach, dealt with Paul George's injury during his tenure with the Indiana Pacers. Stevens wanted to learn what worked for George as he fought his way back to full strength.

One of Vogel's pointers? Chair shooting. Hayward won't be able to take jumpers for a while, but can still work on putting the ball through the basket.

"And, hey, he's going to be the best guy shooting out of a chair," Stevens said Friday morning before a Celtics shootaround. "With his left hand, with his right hand, perfect his form, and let's have fun, let's come up with creative ways to attack this thing."

Stevens said he visited Hayward in the hospital Friday and the forward was in "pretty positive" spirits despite "having some of the post-surgery challenges of pain and everything else."

"We talked a little bit about how to approach the next five months with maintaining that positivity," Stevens said.

If Hayward's full recovery is expected to last five months, he would be on track to return near the end of the regular season. But Stevens could have been referring to some other benchmark in the rehab. The Celtics have not ruled out a return this season, but are not expecting one, according to what team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge told the Boston Herald. Hayward's agent told ESPN his client is likely to miss the entire campaign.

Regardless of how long the recovery takes, Stevens wants to ensure Hayward has the tools to stay as excited as possible throughout the process.

"Different ways to stay engaged, different ways to approach this, to attack this," Stevens said. "He was ready to get started on his rehab the minute he got out of surgery."