The start of the NBA's regular season is so exciting and full of hope. Especially after an insane offseason, this year had a ton of great players in new places.

Unfortunately, the reality of playing sports comes with the risk of injury. In just the first week of the season, a number of marquee players have experienced serious injuries that either have them out for the year or a substantial amount of time.

Serious injuries suck. All the preparation teams put in before a season can get completely wiped away by an awkward fall or unlucky collision. It can be difficult for these teams to cope with immediate change, and it can also be hard on fans trying to watch their same squad but with a different outlook.

In times like this you have to look on the bright side of things, and try to find more reasons to get into their team than they originally thought they would need. So let's take a look at some of the major injuries this season and what each team has to look forward to as a silver lining.

Boston Celtics: Youth Movement after Hayward Tragedy

The first one is the most recognizable injury of the season and will probably remain in the memories of Celtics fans for the next calendar year. Gordon Hayward dislocated his left ankle and fractured his left tibia within the first six minutes of the regular season.

He is most likely out for the rest of the season, and the Celtics will now have to pivot from being a team with title hopes to one that will struggle to get to the eastern conference finals. Hayward, along with Kyrie Irving and Al Horford, were in line to take down the Cavaliers in the east, but have a new outlook on the season.

Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart are the three youngsters on the Celtics that had substantial roles before the Hayward injury, but will now get a major opportunity to contribute to a winning team. All three are former top-ten picks, and the Celtics can find a way to benefit from their expedited growth despite such a tragic injury from Hayward.

Brown has certainly relished in his new role through his first three games, averaging over 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. Tatum could end up winning the Rookie of the Year award with an increased role and relatively polished skill-set for a 19-year-old. Smart was primed for a breakout season with an improved shooting stroke and shedding 20 pounds over the summer, so an increased role can only help his value going into restricted free agency.

So while the Celtics are in an awful situation that they could never have foreseen, but there is still reason for hope. Brown, Tatum, and Smart all have incredible upside and could change Boston's new outlook into an even better one with some speedy development. The Celtics may not reach their ultimate goal this year, but they'll be an interesting team to watch regardless.

Brooklyn Nets: Russell and Levert Unleashed with Lin Down

Jeremy Lin suffered a ruptured patella tendon in Brooklyn's season opener, and will miss the entirety of the year. The Nets are still in the midst of a long rebuild, and still without their own first round pick, but Lin was expected to carry a heavy load for this young team. With Lin done until next year, D'Angelo Russell will take over the majority of Brooklyn's ball handling duties.

The Nets traded Brook Lopez for Russell this offseason, which was a smart move to give the former second overall pick a fresh start with a team that would let him play to his strengths. So far this season, Russell has done well to shoulder the Nets offense averaging 21 points and seven assists in his first three games.

Russell was going to be a starter regardless of Lin, but now Caris Levert has inherited more minutes and opportunity for the Nets. Levert is one of the Nets' prized prospects and provides a better fit next to Russell in what should be a very potent back court.

Lin was a major part in Brooklyn's resurrection project as a veteran leader among all these young pieces. The bright side for the Nets is that they'll get to find out exactly what they have in their young players. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Isaiah Whitehead, Allen Crabbe, and Jarrett Allen along with Russell and Levert will have plenty of opportunity to showcase their skill sets in order to carve out a spot in Brooklyn's future plans.

Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin the Point Guard?

After trading Chris Paul to the Rockets upon his request, the LA Clippers brought in Euro-sensation Milos Teodosic to fill some of the playmaking void that Paul left behind. Teodosic's biggest strength is finding open teammates with flashy passes that are right on the money. Teodosic suffered a plantar fascia injury, and is reportedly out indefinitely.

Without him, the Clippers don't really have a true playmaker at the point guard position since Patrick Beverley and Austin Rivers are much better suited off the ball. This is where the Clippers can give the keys to Blake Griffin and run everything through him on the offensive end.

With the spacing issues that come with the traditional front court of Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers can create more space on the offensive end by using Griffin as a primary ball handler. He has pretty advanced ball handling and passing skills for a player his size, and it would be interesting to see a team completely buy into those unique traits.

Griffin has had a very strong start to the season without Chris Paul, and if the Clippers are going to survive without a playmaking point guard, they'll have to let Griffin loose. Losing Teodosic for the foresseable future hurts, but Clippers fans can start to get behind a Blake-for-MVP campaign given the way things could shape out.

Injuries are just the worst. It's very difficult to accept the fact that your team's season may be over, but it doesn't mean that the new team post-injury isn't interesting. The Nets, Celtics, and Clippers have suffered some pretty sizable blows, but all have reason for optimism and intrigue as the rest of the season goes on. Who knows, maybe Hayward and Teodosic can make it back before the playoffs and that same hope you had at the beginning of the season returns.