The comparisons were inevitable.
Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic sustained a freak injury Monday night, suffering compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula. It was the kind of stomach-twisting injury that invoked memories of Paul George's devastating knee injury in 2014 and Gordon Hayward's gruesome ankle injury in Cleveland on opening night of the 2017-18 NBA season.
Ironically enough, Hayward was at the scene of his crime Tuesday morning when asked for his reaction to Nurkic's injury.
"I just saw it this morning. I feel so bad for the guy," Hayward told reporters in Cleveland ahead of Boston's game against the Cavaliers that night, via The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. "I mean, he was having a tremendous year. I feel bad for the Blazers, too."
Hayward also tweeted his support of Nurkic on Tuesday, writing a message in Croatian (Nurkic was born in Bosnia but spent several years in Croatia before coming to the U.S.) that translates roughly to "I wish you a speedy recovery, brother."
Hayward knows the ins and outs of recovery after needing a full year to recover from his fractured tibia and dislocated ankle, but he expressed optimism for Nurkic based on his diagnosis.
"These things happen. Ironically, on this court it happened (for me). From what I saw, it looked kind of more like PG's injury and less like mine, but as long as -- I think his is just compact fracture, right? So, nothing with the ankle or anything, which is good news.
Boston Celtics
"It'll be a long road for him, but he for sure can work his way out of it."
The blueprint is there for Nurkic; George suffered his knee injury in August 2014 but was able to return to game action by April 2015 and averaged 23.1 points per game the following season.
It's been tougher sledding this season for Hayward, who has shown flashes of the All-Star player he was before his injury but has struggled to find consistency. Still, the veteran forward is trending upward and doesn't mind having his "freak injury" lumped in with George's and Nurkic's if the narrative includes his success story.
"It is what it is. Hopefully I can be some inspiration for some people that you can come back and it takes a lot of work," Hayward said. "But it's definitely possible, and we're blessed modern technology and all that they can do to help us get better."
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