Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward revealed more details Tuesday about the second surgery he underwent in March on the leg and ankle he broke in the season opener, saying he plans on "being back to my usual self for the start of next season."

In a posting on his blog, gordonhayward20.life, Hayward said that while his initial rehab was going well, he was also having pain in his left ankle that would not go away. 

After a series of tests with doctors, it was determined the pain was not related to any injury, but rather irritation caused by what Hayward called the hardware — the screws, plate and tightrope used to help the ankle mend.

Doctors removed the hardware in the second surgery.

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"So now," Hayward wrote, "I basically have a normal ankle — just there are some holes in the bone where they had to put the screws in, and those are going to heal up"

Hayward says he now anticipates that in July he "will be right back to the point where I was before I got the surgery, except for I won't have that same pain."

If things go according to Hayward's new plan, he will be playing five-on-five basketball by the end of July. 

If Hayward is indeed back in the starting lineup in time for the season opener, he will join a team that, without its two star players in the postseason, still took the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals before losing at home in the deciding game.

As for that other star, point guard Kyrie Irving, Hayward shared news on him, as well. Irving was lost for the season in mid-March because of a knee infection stemming from a previous surgery, and underwent additional surgery to have screws removed, as well.

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

If both are indeed back in time for the start of next season, it would likely make the Celtics big favorites to win the Eastern Conference — particularly if LeBron James leaves Cleveland for the Western Conference.

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