Grant Williams Discusses Knee Injury and Surgery
Williams spoke about dealing with a major injury.
One of the biggest injury blows in the Charlotte Hornets’ season was dealt back on November 23, when Grant Williams went down in Milwaukee with a knee injury. We would later find out that this ailment turned out being a torn ACL in conjunction with a torn meniscus, and that it would sideline Grant for the rest of the season.
It was a disappointing and discouraging circumstance to say the least, given all that Williams has meant to the Hornets and his Charlotte community since arriving with the team. Before the home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, Grant made an appearance at the podium and spoke with media about his recovery and surgery processes.
In typical Grant Williams fashion, he shared detailed answers to questions and was candid and open about not just the injury and recovery process, but also about his perspective on the situation and how he is dealing with the challenging circumstances thrown his way.
“I went through a wave of emotions in that first 24 hours, I would say,” said Williams. “And then after that, just started attacking rehab, going from there. Because all you can do is get ready to get back, you can’t really focus on what happened.
“So the mental side of things I think will start kicking in more and more as I start to get closer to back to the court. I feel like that’s going to be a little more difficult, just for the fact that you play basketball your whole life, and this is my first ever major injury. First injury for real, in general. So this rehab process is going to be the longest I’ve ever been without basketball in my life, so that’s the mental preparation I’m going into.”
Dealing with something like this can be discouraging, and that is the emotion a lot of us tend to run to when things do not go our way. While those feelings are normal, adapting to circumstances and having a growth mindset will nearly always yield positive results in the face of disappointment.
When I asked Grant what he feels like he has learned so far in this injury and recovery process, he shared that he has been learning to handle things at the right speed. “If you know me, I’m a very active person. I do a lot,” he said. “Whether community, whether it’s life, whether it’s balancing everything here. So it’s kind of taught me just to slow down a bit. That’s something that I don’t normally get to do.
“It’s definitely tough, just because you’re used to being at every community event … Things like that, where you’re realizing you have to prioritize yourself a little bit more, and being more disciplined and more mindful. Because every little thing matters right now. Going into surgery, making sure that you’re in the best possible shape with your nutrition but also your body, in terms of taking care of your quads, taking care of your calves, all the muscles around it.
“That’s really the main thing I’ve learned is how to prioritize myself and take it a little bit easier and slower … Also, not being so negative. Keeping a positive mentality. I was a very negative reinforcement person throughout my career, and I’ve realized that’s probably not the best thing. So positive reinforcement of saying ‘you may not be there right now, but you’re going to get there.’ It’s been really helpful.”
As for his recovery timeline, Grant said that he expects to be out anywhere from eight to 12 months following the procedure. His surgery was successfully completed this past Wednesday in Chicago by Dr. Brian Cole, M.D.
Williams explained that the doctors’ determinations of what specifically they plan to do on the day of surgery will determine the length of time that he will be load-bearing and non-load bearing in his recovery. But he said that he anticipates that timeline being around six weeks.
This means that we could see Grant back in action as soon as next season’s training camp. In the meantime, we can expect to see him bringing his usual encouraging energy and leadership to his teammates as they ride out the season without him on the floor.
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