It didn’t take a doctor to figure out how serious Gordon Hayward’s gruesome injury in his Boston Celtics debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers was. Hayward was diagnosed with a fractured tibia and dislocated ankle, which sounds like serious injuries that may take a significant amount of time to recover from.

However, that might not be entirely the case. CBS Boston reports that there are at least some rumblings in the aftermath of Hayward’s injury that suggest he might not be out for too long.

The Vertical’s Chris Mannix tweeted that he heard some “cautious optimism” about Hayward’s injury likely stemming from the fact that it was a clean break, which is actually better since it may take faster to heal.

Meanwhile, some medical experts have even suggested that Hayward may still be able to return within the season if all goes well with his recovery.

Medical experts have also weighed in, saying that Hayward could have an outside shot of returning in March or April if he has a clean, speedy recovery. Dr. Jessica Flynn wrote on the Boston Sports Journal Tuesday night that the best-case scenario for Hayward is that he can return to the court in 4-to-6 months.

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This favorable outlook is in contrast to the opinion of Jeff Stotts, who feels Hayward may have a harder time recovering than Paul George, who also famously suffered a gruesome broken leg.

But even if Hayward does make a miraculous recovery and is deemed healthy enough to play basketball again within such a short timetable, he likely won’t be anywhere near good enough shape to play at the level he’s capable of reaching after a lengthy layoff.

Instead of trying to rush Hayward back for the playoffs and potentially risking an injury setback, the Celtics would likely rather show more patience, shut him down for the entire season and get him prepared fully for a comeback for next year.