Brad Stevens on Gordon Hayward Injury: 'You Hurt for Him'

Not only did the Boston Celtics lose Tuesday's season opener to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they also lost Gordon Hayward to a gruesome ankle injury in the first quarter.

"You hurt for him," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens told reporters afterward. "I really feel for him."

While this was the first time Stevens coached Hayward at the NBA level after the forward signed with Boston this offseason, he was Hayward's collegiate coach at Butler.

Hayward was carted off the court in the first quarter, and the Celtics announced the initial diagnosis was a fractured left ankle.

Stevens also said he talked to Hayward during halftime, noting "there are no words after that," per Matthew Scianitti of TSN.

The emotion was clear on both sides, as many players couldn't even bring themselves to look at the injury. The Celtics huddled together on their bench in the immediate aftermath, when it was already clear Hayward had suffered a significant setback.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, LeBron James went into Cleveland's locker room to visit with Hayward. Windhorst also tweeted Cavaliers guard "Isaiah Thomas, who recruited Boston over summer, has also been with him in locker room."

This is not how it was supposed to go for the Celtics, who signed Hayward, traded for Kyrie Irving and drafted Jayson Tatum to a roster already featuring Al Horford during the offseason. A potential Eastern Conference Finals rematch with Cleveland seemed imminent, but Hayward's injury will make things all the more difficult for Boston.

Despite the circumstances, Stevens stressed his team "will be ready to play" in Wednesday's contest against the Milwaukee Bucks, per Brian Robb of the Boston Sports Journal.

Look for Tatum and youngster Jaylen Brown to see more time at the small forward spot with Hayward out.