Earlier this year, there was hope that Gordon Hayward would be able to return for the Boston Celtics this season, potentially for their run for a championship during their anticipated playoff run. However, those hopes were later extinguished.

Hayward has been out of action since his league debut for the Celtics in their season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, as he injured his left ankle when he landed badly on it during the contest, suffering a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle.

There was hope that the small forward would have been able to travel with the team this month, as well as play for the Eastern Conference team during the postseason. However, those hopes were slashed when Celtics head coach Brad Stevens revealed Hayward wouldn't return this season at all.

According to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports, during a recent appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Toucher and Rich Show, Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said that Hayward was progressing too fast in his rehab and he had a set back about a month and a half ago.

This is why the team changed their message on his return and announced that he wouldn't be coming back this season, not even for the playoffs. Ainge didn't say though what type of setback the small forward suffered, but it's safe to say it was nothing too serious.

Ainge said: "We were progressing a little too fast, we thought. He’s got a ways to go, but we’re excited about his progress."

Despite the head coach and the Celtics ruling him out, it was only last week which Hayward told reporters that there is still a chance that he could play again at some point this season.

The small forward said to ESPN: "The hope is still there. It's something where I'm really honestly not even thinking about it. I know we're getting toward the end of the year. It's something that I'm still working toward, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen."

There is no rush for the Celtics to rush Hayward back. The team is still reasonably comfortable in second place in the Eastern Conference despite being 4.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors. However, if a few players were to go down, it sounds like Hayward still wants to be considered an option as we enter the postseason.