Gordon Hayward of the Boston Celtics has been out of action since he picked up an injury after falling awkwardly during his team's opening game of the season, but his head coach, Brad Stevens, has provided a promising update on the small forward.

Hayward has been out since the opening game of the season against the Cleveland Cavaliers when he suffered a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle in his left leg less than six minutes into the game after he landed awkwardly on the hardwood after going up for alley-oop from Kyrie Irving.

Many thought the Celtics would struggle without the small forward in their lineup, dismissing hopes that he would be brought back later in the season if the team made the playoffs, but that no longer looks to be the case, as the team is playing fantastic without him.

Boston currently resides at the top of the Eastern Conference and 1.5 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors in second thanks to the plays of Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown. However, they are in the middle of a four-game losing streak, so they would welcome the 27-year-old back into their lineup if he was available.

Speaking this week prior to the Celtics' 108-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at the Staples Center, Stevens provided a good sign that Hayward's recovery is going well, as he said that he could begin travelling with the team in March. 

Boston's head coach said to MassLive’s Jay King: "I’d say that the traveling looks like it could be early March as he can maybe do all of his rehab without an Alter-G machine and those types of things," head coach Brad Stevens said. "He’s still got a long way to go."

Stevens' recent update on Hayward shows that there is still a chance the small forward could play in the playoffs later on this year, but this probably slim at best considering the nature of his injury

Still, the 27-year-old's teammates are excited that he could soon be travelling on the road with them once more. Al Horford said to Boston Sports Journal’s Brian Robb: “Any chance he gets around us, it’s good to have him and good to share with him. He’s still a part of this. That’s the cool thing about it.”