Gordon Hayward is the wild card for the Boston Celtics

As he continues to rehab from that devastating ankle injury, Gordon Hayward has become the X-factor in the Boston Celtics’ title chances.

Remember when Gordon Hayward signed with the Boston Celtics? Although it was less than two years ago, that July 4 seems like ages ago given all that has occurred since.

In the summer of 2017, Hayward was viewed as one of, if not the prized free agent of his class, at least among those with the possibility of switching teams. Drafted ninth overall by the Utah Jazz back in 2010, he would increase his scoring average in each of his seven seasons in Salt Lake City, culminating in career-best marks in points, rebounds and assists in the 2016-17 season.

When he picked Boston as his home for the next four years as an unrestricted free agent, the Cs were immediately viewed as the winners of the offseason, having acquired a player coming off his very first All-Star appearance at just 26 years old who could play next to just about anybody with his all-around skill-set. After the Celtics acquired Kyrie Irving almost two months later, something special certainly looked to be brewing in Bean Town.

Then, opening night of the 2017-18 season came along. The Celtics traveled to Ohio to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in a rematch of the conference finals the year prior, and with both teams having undergone massive roster overhauls, the matchup was all the more anticipated.

You know what happened next. Less than six minutes into his debut, Hayward went up for an alley-oop off a backdoor lob from Irving. He got tangled up midair and wound up breaking his left ankle after a hard fall, ending his first season in Boston before it really started.

When it comes to an injury of that magnitude, it takes a special person to bounce back following months of strenuous rehab and the toll it takes on both the body and mind. Even upon returning to full health, it’s not as simple as getting back onto the court to make everything the way it once was.

Hayward hadn’t played an NBA game in almost a year. After so much time spent away, it takes a while to get re-acclimated to the ins and outs of the game at its highest level — an unfortunate truth the Celtics are currently experiencing firsthand this season.

With averages of just 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from 3-point land, it’s clear that the former Butler Bulldog still hasn’t found his former self. He doesn’t have the same level of burst and athleticism that was such a large part of his game pre-injury. Such a struggle is understandable, but it isn’t made any easier by the amount of playing time he’s been given.

In helping their fallen star build himself back up, head coach Brad Stevens is giving his former pupil 26.0 minutes per game, barely ahead of the likes of Terry Rozier, tied with Jaylen Brown and just a smidge below Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris.

Smart recently re-signed in the offseason, but those other three guys are trying to secure a hefty bag. If Hayward were playing near the level we know he’s capable of, those guys would likely have little to no problem sacrificing minutes. But when the consistency just isn’t there, riding the pine is a hard pill to swallow.

His contract may look like one of the worst in the league, but there was a very valid reason Boston gave him a four-year, $128 million deal almost two summers ago. When healthy, he is both a scorer and facilitator who can hold his own and guard multiple positions at the other end of the floor.

But here’s where the Celtics find themselves in a pickle. With such a deep roster, Hayward is rarely the best option to turn to at any point in the game, but if they want to get him back to full strength, riding out these struggles is a necessary evil — even if it means alienating some of the players and sacrificing some regular season wins along the way.

This was never supposed to be the plan in Boston. Hayward was thought to be one of the engines pumping this team to greater heights, not a faulty piece that keeps the car in neutral. But, as is the case with a number of people, life intervened and threw both him and the organization a curveball they couldn’t have predicted but are now forced to reconcile with.

The Cs have 24 games left before the start of the postseason, and Hayward had actually begun to look like his former self, putting up 17.0 points on 61.2 percent shooting from the field to go along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists a night in the five games prior to the All-Star break.

Boston’s championship aspirations don’t necessarily hinge on the performance of Gordon Hayward. Such is the beauty of depth. It would be of great use to the Celtics, though, if the guy once touted as the Robin to Kyrie’s Batman could get back to that point in the near to immediate future.

If he can’t, Stevens might just have to slow this reclamation project down come playoff time. But if Hayward finds a groove heading into the postseason, the Celtics might just start looking every bit of the Finals contender everyone pegged them to be before the season began.