Celtics' Gordon Hayward is out of his cast and taking shots

What's the story?

According to ESPN's Chris Forsberg, Boston Celtics guard Gordon Hayward is already out of the hard cast and walking boot on his injured leg and ankle. Celtic head coach Brad Stevens even mentioned that Hayward was shooting baskets from a chair.

In case you didn't know...

Hayward dislocated his ankle and broke his tibia just six minutes into the season when he collided in mid-air with LeBron James. The expectation is that he will miss the entire season after signing a four-year max deal this past July.

The heart of the matter....

Stevens was also a recent guest on Boston sports radio station 98.5 The Sports Hub and he mentioned that even though Hayward isn't on the court, he has been aiding the team to prepare for future opponents. The result was winning games against the Milwaukee Bucks and San Antonio Spurs.

Stevens also mentioned that Hayward has been in good spirits since the surgery and is in the early stages of rehab; while doing everything he can to help the team off the court.

What's next?

The Boston Celtics (6-2) are playing very well since losing Hayward, and look to keep it going in Oklahoma City against the Thunder (4-3) Friday night on ESPN.

Author's take...

It's good to see Hayward progressing so quick after the injury. Being a Celtics fan, it was definitely a punch to the gut in the first quarter of the first game, but the team has responded well going 6-1 since the injury, and Hayward has a more to do with it than most people know.