Gordon Hayward has a long road ahead of him as he works back to getting on the court and playing basketball after a severe ankle injury he suffered on opening night.
The trauma of that injury, on national television as the first official game of the NBA season, is something that’s difficult to understand. Few players have suffered an injury that graphic on that stage, and the physical pain of the injury itself is just the start of what Hayward will deal with in the weeks and months ahead.
Paul Pierce sat down with Hayward to discuss the injury and how he’s trying to get back to 100 percent, no small task for an injury as bad as he suffered. He described the initial pain he felt and said his look of calm awas far from what he was feeling.
“I definitely wasn’t calm on the inside,” Hayward said. “I was I think probably in shock more than anything. When you look down and your foot is the wrong way it just doesn’t look right.”
Hayward said the support he got from players like Paul George and other NBA and sports stars truly did help him get past what he described as a “dark” period following his injury.
“It was so amazing to help me get through those first couple of days and weeks because there were, like, dark times. Just the negative thoughts that go through your mind which I think are natural, but it’s hard to stop because it just keeps spiraling on you.”
Hayward is already practicing, though he can’t put any weight on his leg. So he’s taking passes and shooting from a chair. Hayward said the goal is to just get better a little bit every day. He seems driven, which is encouraging. Hopefully the worst is over for him.
