OKC Thunder Injury news: Russell Westbrook out 4 weeks following right knee scope
OKC Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook underwent an arthroscopic right knee procedure which will keep him out for at least the next four weeks.
For the second consecutive season Russell Westbrook starts his year coming off a knee procedure. This because the OKC Thunder point guard underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee today (Wednesday, September 12) to deal with inflammation and stiffness.
Erik Horne of NewOK offered the following:
"Westbrook felt stiffness and experienced inflammation in his knee last weekend, and elected to have surgery now as opposed to missing time deep into the season. The surgery, which the Thunder is calling a proactive procedure, was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache with Thunder medical personnel present at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles."
Last year Westbrook underwent a plasma injection on his opposite knee (left) just prior to season start. What this means for the OKC Thunder is Westbrook will realistically be out for the next month – potentially longer.
Russell Westbrook underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee today after feeling some stiffness in the last week. It's a preemptive "maintenance" procedure. He'll be re-evaluated in four weeks, which could force him to miss the preseason.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) September 12, 2018
This isn’t ideal news nor timing. The club however, would rather address this now as opposed to allowing the situation to progressively get worse and result in issues in season.
Westbrook opted for arthroscopic surgery after having some stiffness in his right knee over the weekend. Decision was made to get it out of the way rather than risk something lingering.
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) September 12, 2018
Should Westbrook return in a month he would be available to start the season, and he typically is a quick healer. Despite this, the difference this season is the Thunder’s depth which provides more leeway.
Specifically, the addition of Dennis Schroder this summer offers a starting caliber point guard to step in should Westbrook require a longer window or if the team elect to ease him back into the lineup. Theoretically the German can be used in the starting rotation with Raymond Felton providing his typical backup role.
A re-evaluation of Westbrook in four weeks (Oct. 10) would be about a week from the Thunder’s regular-season opener against Golden State (Oct. 16), That’s a re-evaluation, not a guaranteed return date.
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) September 12, 2018
On the bright side this would also allow Schroder time to build chemistry with Steven Adams, Paul George and other starters. That becomes an important caveat as presumably the Thunder are
keen to play Schroder in clutch time later this season.
More from Thunder News
- Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
- Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
And, if Russ does heal to return for season start, Billy Donovan can feel more comfortable limiting Westbrook’s minutes initially. Another positive is the OKC Thunder begin the season on an easier segment of their schedule.
With Westbrook turning 30 in mid November and in the first year of his five year $205 million super max deal the team obviously would rather exercise caution here.
Westbrook’s career began with an iron man reputation as the super star never missed a game through high school, college or his first few seasons in the NBA.
That was until our friend Patrick Beverley delivered a cheap shot in the 2013 playoffs (see Austin Sternlicht’s OKC Villains article) which resulted in a torn meniscus to the same knee. The Brodie required two knee surgeries for that issue (and another later to re-address the issue). But, he returned as if he’d never missed a beat, something rather unusual for a player as aggressive as Westbrook.
Although it’s not guaranteed the likelihood is he’ll miss all four preseason games and potentially the season opener against his nemesis Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors.
Next. Offseason report card – Grading every Sam Presti move. dark
While the hope would be he’d be on the court for this opening night match, clearly it is far more important he be available and healthy for what could potentially be a Western Conference Finals match up with the Dubs.