Paul George breaks down the reality Gordon Hayward has to face when he starts to recover from his injury. Sharing a very similar injury back in 2014, George said, it brought back all the memories of 2014 when he broke his left leg during a scrimmage prior to the Olympics. He also admits feeling nauseous and sick watching the play because it felt like yesterday when he suffered the same thing.

According to the New York Post, George immediately texted Hayward after the incident and has confirmed talking to him over the phone, sharing words of encouragement for the Celtics player.

Knowing how it feels like, this type of injury will require intense mental, emotional, and physical strength in order to make the path to recovery easier and more tolerable.

Mental strength to recover

Gordon Hayward reminds Paul George of that fateful day but it's all water under the bridge now, and Paul has been back to playing in the NBA. Despite that, he said that the injury will always remind him that he's not 100 percent anymore. "You're always thinking about it," he said. The bump on his leg is a reminder that he once suffered a potential career ending injury and that he needs to slow down.

Broken leg injury aftermath

"I'm not as bouncy as I was," he added. His explosive plays are far in between because of his injury.

"It's something I've got to live with now," he said. In 2016, George opened up about his journey to recovery and shared his doubts. "I thought everything was going to be great," he said then. "I knew I was still a little limited, but I thought I was going to be able to manage that through a full season. But I hit a wall and definitely hit reality that this is going to be a rough journey.”

George's recovery has surprised many in the NBA league.

His dedication apparently allowed him to recover earlier than expected. Others believe that such type of injury humbles player to the extent of realizing that playing basketball is a luxury that is given only to those who have the talent.

Paul George who has been traded by the Indiana Pacers to Oklahoma City Thunder will face the New York Knicks on Thursday, October 19, 2017, in their homecourt Chesapeake Arena.

Prior to the trade, he expressed his interest in joining the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Pacers had other plans. Meanwhile, he also recently said that he might give the Thunders a chance to re-sign him after he realized the organized way the franchise works, not only on the backroom but in the locker room as well.