Since suffering the fractured tibia and dislocated ankle in the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics All-Star forward Gordon Hayward has received an outpouring of support around the league.
One of which has been Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward Paul George, who suffered a similarly devastating injury a few summers ago during a Team USA-organized exhibition game. According to Tom Haberstroh of Bleacher Report, he offered some insight into what the mental impact an injury like that can have on Hayward.
“With the nature of the injury, there's going to be rough days and good days,” George says. “Some days, I felt really good and I felt like I was ready to turn that corner. And then right after that, next day, I felt like I was back at square one. There was pain in the leg again. It was hard to walk, hard to move. It felt like I wasn't progressing like the previous day. That was the rough patch mentally.”
It's a situation that can test a player mentally given that it could possibly alter their career path. This is also the first major injury in Hayward's career that he has ever dealt with in any form as to how George went through with his broken leg a few years ago.
There is much difficulty in the process of fully comprehending that he had suffered a traumatic injury that will take an extended period of time to make his return. At the same time, George also voiced that it will be an arduous process to work his way back to playing at the high level he was prior to the injury while understanding things will be different once he comes back.
“The toughest part about it and what people don't understand is you have an expectation of where you've been and the level you've played at your whole career,” George says. “And you want to get back to that so fast, but you've got to be mindful that you're coming back to a new league. New players. Different teams. Different schemes. It's a whole different game he's coming back to.”
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