Gordon Hayward ready to get through Utah return with assist from Kyrie Irving

PHOENIX -- Just as the locker room opened up to the media in the wake of Thursday's overtime win over the Phoenix Suns, Gordon Hayward was already dressed and ready to head out to the team's bus.

After months and months of anticipation about his eventual return to Utah, Hayward did not want to face one more night of questioning ahead of the showdown itself. That in itself is very understandable.

It has not been the smoothest road for Hayward in his return to the floor this year, as he's struggled with a minutes limit and uneven performances following a year-long recovery from ankle surgery. The pressure of facing Jazz fans would be a tall burden on its own after leaving the team in free agency in the summer of 2017. Doing so while dealing with the obstacles that have piled us as he tries to acclimate to this Celtics squad and get back into top basketball form is a stiffer challenge. There's no doubt it will be nice for him to check off the Utah return box as he continues his recovery after a year delay.

"Great years in Utah," he said. "I thank the Jazz for everything they did for me in my career. I'm looking forward to being able to play there. I was really looking forward to last year, obviously, that didn't happen. It'll be a good game, they are a good team."

Time may ultimately heal all wounds but Hayward knows what will be waiting for him in Utah upon his return.

"It's been a year so hopefully not as vicious a booing, but I'm sure I'll get booed," Hayward said last week. "It is what it is."

Kyrie Irving won't be able to join Hayward in Utah for the return as he attends the memorial of his grandfather, an absence that has been scheduled for weeks. However, the All-Star has been through a similar situation after asking out of Cleveland in the summer of 2016. He had words of advice for his friend as he deals with all the outside noise on Friday night in Salt Lake City.

“Just try not to get too caught up into what the outside is going on," Irving suggested. "It really doesn’t matter. It really does not matter -- like, at all. I know the love and support that he’s garnered there. Gordon’s a great person. Don’t allow competition in basketball to be influenced by what everybody else’s opinion and criticism and all that other stuff of what it should be like in an environment for him. If they boo him, great, if they don’t, great. It doesn’t matter at all. It’s just basketball, like, you know what I mean? If anything he gave (seven years) of his career trying to be the best he could in Utah and I give him credit for that. And he made a decision in his career, and in his life, for his family, to be better. I’ll leave it at that.”

With Irving out of the equation, the opportunity will be there for Hayward within Boston's offense to make a major impact in front of his former team with a national audience watching. At the least, there will be one less burden remaining for him on his basketball calendar and that relief could be a mental boost that is needed for him to just focus in on his game and finding a comfortable role within this Celtics team.

The journey back to All-Star form is probably going to take months longer, but dealing with his exit in Utah was always going to be part of the equation. He'll get to move past it on Friday night.