At 31, Matthews is no longer the player the Mavericks thought they were getting when they signed him to a four-year, $70 million contract in 2015.Ģ016-17 pre-injury averages: 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 50.2 eFG% Like Matthews, Gay recovered from the Achilles injury quickly, playing in the opening game of the next season.
That fact is a positive indicator for DeMarcus Cousins, showing that with the proper rehab, players can make it back to the court much quicker than in previous years. At this point, it’s too early to tell how much of Gay’s drop in production has to do with the Spurs not wanting to push him, how much has to do with natural regression, and how much has to do with the Achilles.Ģ012-13 pre-injury averages: 27.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 50.4 eFG% Gay’s efficiency stayed pretty consistant in 2017-18, but his minutes took a serious hit, averaging just 21.8 per game after averaging over 30 per game for nearly his entire career. Though past his prime at age 34, Bryant was still an All-Star caliber player at the time of his injury. Bryant regressed in nearly every statistical category in the three years after tearing his Achilles, with his shooting percentages plummeting.
