The Boston Celtics ended the 2017-18 season in a far different situation than they started, but it was ultimately a success. Gordon Hayward suffered an unfortunate injury and missed the entire season while Kyrie Irving missed the final month and NBA postseason with a knee injury.

Heading into the 2018-19 season, the Celtics are already among the favorites to win the NBA Championship thanks to the incredible development of their young players as well as the return of their star power in Hayward and Irving. Hayward has been providing updates on his injured ankle over the last couple months on his website.

On Tuesday, Hayward provided an update on his status following a surprising recent procedure to remove the plate and screws from his foot.

As most of you probably know, I recently had surgery to remove the plate and screws that were put in my ankle after I broke it in the opener. It’s not something we were expecting to be a part of this recovery process, but I’m happy to report that I’ll be back out there resuming rehab soon, with my sights set firmly on being back to my usual self for the start of next season.

Hayward also adds that Irving is also progressing well and is planning to begin his training soon.

I’ve talked with Kyrie, and I know he is progressing really well, and plans to start training hard pretty soon. We’ve both been itching to re-join these guys after watching what they did in the postseason.

The Celtics surprisingly reached the Eastern Conference Finals without Irving and Hayward, and got within one game of the NBA Finals. Had it not been for an abnormally horrid shooting night from beyond the arc, Boston could very well have been taking on the Golden State Warriors in the championship round.

Irving played 60 games for the Celtics this season, averaging 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game on 49 percent shooting. Hayward played just five minutes in the season opener for the Celtics, finishing with two points.