“What move did I make for that to happen? When you first come back, you’re guarding yourself. "When you go through that injury, the act of having that injury always lingers in your mind,” Gay said. Superstar Kevin Durant suffered the injury in last year’s NBA Finals with Golden State, and is sitting out the 2019-20 season after signing with the Brooklyn Nets. Gay said he has talked with Wizards point guard John Wall, who tore his Achilles in an off-court accident while out with a knee injury. A lot of people have this injury and see it as a death wish for this sport. “You know that you’re going to come back healthy and be the same person, if not close to the same person you were. “It’s more mental than anything,” Gay said on the team’s stop in Washington. He took encouragement from one of the game’s all-time greats, Kobe Bryant, who suffered the same injury early in the 2013-14 season at age 35. Gay said it took “about a year” to feel comfortable that his Achilles was 100%. Just having those guys with that experience and knowledge is priceless.”Ĭompounding the adjustment was the fact that Gay was in the process of coming back from what is often a career-altering injury. “He’s someone I’ve had a great relationship with so far. “Rudy’s seen a lot, done a lot, just his experience and his wisdom is always great,” Forbes said. Third-year guard Bryn Forbes said that having Gay as a teammate has helped in his own transition to the league. He’s just been somebody that guys look up to because of his experience and ability to get along with people.” He’s been a positive force for everybody. He’s been a great teammate, he’s been a good scorer off the bench for us. “You’re not a rookie, a young guy forever. “Every player goes through that, it’s no big deal,” Popovich said. Popovich, who has seen several of his former stars make a similar transition during his quarter-century tenure with the Spurs, believes that Gay has done a great job in terms of meeting expectations. It’s not just about what he does on the court, but what happens during practice and in the locker room.
Though his offensive game has not completely returned since the injury, Gay has found a new role. Popovich’s string of 22 straight playoff appearance is being seriously threatened. While the Spurs have seemingly recovered from a franchise-record eight-game losing streak, their 11-16 record through Friday puts them 10th in the Western Conference. He’s only averaged fewer than 26 minutes once in his career - the year after he tore his Achilles.īut the transition still hasn’t taken hold for one of the NBA’s most stable franchises. Gay is still a productive offensive player, given that before Saturday night’s game, he was averaging 10.9 points per game while playing just 23 minutes a game. I’m more of a veteran leader, not called upon to score points like I used to.” My role here is a little different than it has been with the teams before. It’s a tough job, not as easy as people may think. It takes a while to get familiar with coaches, players. It takes time to redirect your way of thinking. “Your role is switched and it takes time to get used to it.
“The adjustment wasn’t easy for me at all,” he said. Gay said the transition to a new team and a new role is something that is finally taking hold.