A torn Achilles is among the worst injuries a professional athlete can suffer as it could take several years to truly recover from.

Some players never overcome the issue, but for others, it simply takes time.

The latter has certainly been the case for San Antonio Spurs veteran Rudy Gay who struggled to really have a huge impact on his new team last season after returning from the career-threatening setback.

After signing with the Texas-based franchise as a free agent in 2017, he played 57 games last year and averaged 11.5 points per game.

The forward was a solid contributor but he played the fewest minutes of his career at just 21.6 a night and shot a lowly 31.4 percent from three-point range.

Gay spent much of the campaign on the bench but he did enough to earn himself another deal with the Spurs this summer.

The 32-year-old is ready to repay the team's faith in him as he believes he's finally back to 100 percent.

"Everything is clicking. I feel athletic again,” he told Tom Osborn of the San Antonio Express-News.

“I’ve been working hard, man. I lost about five pounds.

"Last year was a little bit of a struggle for me, so I tried to alleviate that by taking the weight off my feet by losing a couple of pounds through working out and eating better.

"It’s now or never right now for me.”

Reunited

With Kawhi Leonard's departure, Gay can work his way into the starting lineup at small forward if he impresses in training camp.

He's looking forward to teaming up with former teammate and close friend DeMar DeRozan again after they acquired him in the trade that sent Leonard to the Toronto Raptors.

DeRozan will certainly have a chip on his shoulder after being blindsided by the Raptors but Gay says he won't be the only player with a point to prove.

“That’s the thing about this whole team – everybody has a chip on his shoulder,” Gay said. “His [DeRozan] is just more publicised.

"But, look, I’m healthy (and have something to prove), LaMarcus (Aldridge) always finds someway to have a chip on his shoulder.

"Jakob wants to prove he can be a great player. DJ (Dejounte Murray) has a chip on his shoulder because he wants to be known as one of the best at his position.”

Even though they've lost Leonard, San Antonio still has a strong core and should not be underestimated in the west next year.

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