About 3AM I was awake, with my mind wandering again, and I thought "given the paucity of info we are likely to get, and the fact that I keep saying that complications could result in a longer recovery time, what kind of info might be released that would be an indication that there have been complications?"
Infection is the absolute biggest risk here. Infection could be career ending as it can impair the ability of the bone to heal properly. We can expect Tyler to have anywhere from 1 to 2 surgeries this week (including the one he would have had Saturday night). Sometimes we will do an immediate washout, followed by a delayed intramedullary nailing in a second surgery. Sometimes we do both in the initial surgery. If Pete happens to mentions that Tyler required another surgery anytime after mid-week, we can be concerned that he may have an infection or compartment syndrome.
Compartment syndrome - a rare, but serious, complication of tibial fracture. The muscles of the lower leg are encased in tough, fibrous compartments of tissue. If the muscles swell, the pressure in these compartments can get high enough to choke off the blood supply to the muscles resulting in potentially irreversible muscle injury. If this complication is recognized promptly, an emergent return to the OR, for fasciotomy, can save the leg. If recognition is delayed, this is a devastating and probably career ending complication. If Pete says something about going back to the OR for some swelling, we can worry about this. Given his status with the Hawks, we can expect they will be watching for this like, well, a Hawk.
Non-union. There is always the possibility that the damage is severe enough that the bone has difficulty healing properly. This is more common with a comminuted fracture where there are a bunch of little bone fragments that have to organize back together again. It is possible that Tyler suffered this type of fracture. Modern nails are amazing though, and will give Tyler a really good chance of healing properly even if he has a really bad break. Likely Pete won't be giving us any clue as to the extent of the fracture, but if, in 2-3 months, he happens to say something about Lockett not healing up right, we can start worrying about this.
Nerve damage. Nerves are extremely tough, but can be cut by sharp bone ends. A cut nerve will never be the same. Prompt reconnection may give some of the function back, but the recovery is protracted. Likely career ending. If Pete says anything about nerve damage and a longer recovery, we can start worrying about this. However, there can be minor, typically temporary, nerve injury from the initial injury, or during tibial nailing. This could drag out his recovery for a few months. It may be tough to tease out what kind of nerve injury Pete might be talking about. If he gives a timetable within a year, then it's a good bet we are talking about the latter.
Ligamentous injury. Isolated bone injuries are possible, but commonly there is ligamentous damage above and below the break. This will be the toughest to tease out, unless someone who knows something comes right out and says it. A subsequent surgery in a few weeks to a few months would be suggestive of a ligamentous injury.
One thing to keep in mind that we shouldn't really worry about is that he may have a subsequent operation to remove the screws in a few months, or the intramedullary nail in a year or so. Depending on the type of nail placed, they may plan to remove the screws in about three months. If placed in adulthood, these nails can stay in forever. Sometimes they are removed because they are causing pain. I haven't treated any professional athletes with a tibial nail, but it is possible that he won't feel "right" with the nail in. While it closely mimics the flex of natural bone, it isn't perfect, and a professional athlete may be more sensitive to this difference than your average weekend warrior or couch potato.
Disclaimer: I'm an anesthesiologist, not an orthopedic surgeon, so my understanding is far from perfect, and my information on nails may be somewhat dated at this point.