Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward is getting back to normal, he explained in a recent essay published to his website.

“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,” Hayward wrote. “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.”

The Celtics announced at the end of May that Hayward underwent surgery to remove plate screws in his left leg. Doctors left the screws in there after he broke his left fibula on opening night, when he played his first game with Boston after signing this past summer.

Hayward explains that the primary plan was to leave the screws in his leg. But they were causing him pain, something doctors noticed when they numbed the area around his ankle and realized it improved his strength. Thus, they went in for surgery to remove the screws which had been there since the initial operation in October.

“We got on a conference call with Dr. Porter, and the doctors and staff in Boston, and collectively decided that we should take the hardware out of my ankle,” Hayward wrote. “The next night I was in surgery. Dr. Porter went in and took out everything that they had put in my ankle. There were two incisions made to take all the stuff out. They took the plate, the screws and the tightrope that was in there. So now, 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.”

The Celtics have said repeatedly that they expect Hayward and point guard Kyrie Irving, who underwent season-ending knee surgery in March, to be back in time for training camp, which begins at the end of September. Coach Brad Stevens reiterated as such June 21, when talking with reporters at a camp he held at a Boys and Girls Club.

“There should be a little bit of a cushion (between their returns and the start of training camp) from everything I can gather,” Stevens said.

“They’re well on their way to being cleared.”