When Dallas Mavericks’ shooting guard Wesley Matthews tore his Achilles tendon late last season, there were many who doubted he would be able to return to form. After all, that particular injury has been a notoriously difficult one to come back from. The most recent NBA athlete to have attempted a comeback from the injury with little to no success is Los Angeles Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant. Bryant knows firsthand how difficult it is to recover from a torn Achilles, and as such, is quite impressed with Matthews return to the court, via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon:
I think he’s done a phenomenal job. He and I have talked several times throughout this process. It’s tough. It’s tough to go through that, man. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. It’s very, very tough.But he looks good. When we saw him in L.A., I was very, very happy with the way he was moving. He seemed to be pretty comfortable. That’s a tough thing to go through.
Matthews was surprisingly able to play in the Mavericks’ season opener and has looked great while on the court, to the delight of Mavs and NBA fans, alike. Despite his limited minutes as he adjusts back to game-speed, Matthews has the team’s second best plus-minus rating, showing his worth as the Mavs’ biggest and most expensive free agent signing. According to Matthwes, Bryant has a lot to do with the success he has enjoyed thus far. Bryant repeatedly gave Matthews advice on the rehab process, namely staying patient through all the frustrations, and Matthews used that advice to get back to playing in less than eight months.
Matthews, who was an undrafted free agent coming out of college, has repeatedly proved people wrong throughout his career. He seems ready to do that once again as he returns from what was thought to be a devastating injury. Wesley Matthews is certainly not backing away from the challenge:
I’m thinking that I’m going to be a better player regardless. If that falls in the category of the best that anybody has ever been coming back from this injury, then so be it.
