Ainge: Irving, Hayward healthy enough to go 'full speed' at training camp

Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are raring to resume their tenures with the Boston Celtics after their 2017-18 seasons came to a premature end due to injury.

After spending the summer rehabbing, the two All-Stars will be back in Boston next week to partake in informal workouts with their Celtics teammates.

"I don't want to hype it up too much, but I'm saying that, if our training camp were starting today, that they would be here today going full speed," team president Danny Ainge told ESPN's Chris Forsberg. "It's not like they need an extra month. I think that they know they have an extra month so they are sort of pacing themselves. They're playing as if to build up to that opening day of training camp [on Sept. 26]."

Irving suited up for 60 appearances during his first year with the organization, but was sidelined for the last 15 games, as well as Boston's playoff run that ended one win short of a Finals berth, after undergoing a procedure to remove a tension wire from his left knee.

Hayward's injury was far more severe, as the now 28-year-old dislocated his ankle and fractured his tibia in the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He went under the knife again in May to remove the plate and screws from his initial surgery that were hindering his recovery.

Ainge said the duo will be eased slowly into camp with their activity ramping up over time, although the two have already begun "dunking the basketball off both legs and playing 1-on-1 live and jumping and cutting and defending."

"I'm really excited about about the upcoming season with [Irving and Hayward]," he said. "Obviously there's a transition from rehabbing to playing 1-on-1 to playing 3-on-3 to 5-on-5 and then playing NBA basketball, so I don't want to build up expectations too high. I think there will be a little bit of an adjustment once that last phase is made.

"But, physically, they look great and I think they're very excited about the upcoming year."