Celtics' Gordon Hayward will need surgery, but full recovery expected

— -- BOSTON --? Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Gordon Hayward will soon undergo surgery for the gruesome leg injury he sustained in the first quarter of Tuesday's season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stevens said Hayward underwent a battery of tests on Wednesday morning that confirmed the initial diagnosis of a dislocated ankle and fractured tibia. While Stevens shied away from offering a potential timeline for Hayward's return, he did stress that Hayward is expected to make a full recovery.

Stevens also admitted that Hayward is "down" after the injury that occurred a little more than five minutes into his Boston debut.

"I was [at the hospital] for a minute last night and also again today for an hour or so. He's down," said Stevens. "Obviously, there's a physical pain to it, but I think it's also doubled by the emotional pain of, you know, he put a lot of effort into trying to start this, his career, out well in Boston.

"But this is a setback; we're expecting a full recovery. And we know there are going to be a lot of tough days ahead on that recovery but, at the same time, hopefully he'll improve day to day. But it's been tough. It's been tough for him."

Stevens said a surgery date hasn't been set and noted the team would provide further updates once that schedule is finalized. Stevens was asked about the specifics of the injury but didn't want to disclose details, while suggesting, "I'm probably not as up to speed on all of that as maybe a doctor would be."

The Celtics will start Marcus Smart in Hayward's place during Wednesday's home opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Stevens said his players' thoughts are on Hayward.

"I think the biggest thing is they really care about Gordon," Stevens said. "He's made a big impact on them. He's an easy guy to play with. He's a guy you want to play with on both ends of the floor. So certainly you miss that -- and that camaraderie. But one of the tasks that we have now is to pick up steam for him, and guys that get opportunities that [they] may not have [had before Hayward's injury] or guys that get opportunities from a more minutes standpoint need to be ready to take advantage of those."

Stevens said the Celtics will begin looking at how to best fill Hayward's vacancy, including a potential roster addition.

"I think that we will probably look at the roster spot," Stevens said. "We are bringing [rookie] Jabari Bird back and using one of his [G-League] two-way days today. I think we will at least be actively looking for that roster spot, just because, obviously, the standpoint of the youth, but also because you lose one of your better shooters and more versatile players. A guy who can put the ball in the basket for you.

"We'll see how that works itself out. We haven't really gotten into it too much because we have our hands full tonight."