OKC Thunder: Scottie Pippen expects Russell Westbrook to return stronger

Former NBA star Scottie Pippen has no doubt Russell Westbrook will come back stronger than ever after recovering from his minor knee surgery.

It’s been one month since Russell Westbrook underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. The surgery, although minor, is expected to keep the face of the franchise sidelined for the first few games of the season. But the setback shouldn’t concern OKC Thunder fans in the long run, according to NBA legend Scottie Pippen.

Pippen, Rachel Nichols and Amin Elhassan looked at the first five games the Thunder will play this season. It features the Golden State Warriors (Oct. 16), LA Clippers (Oct. 19), Sacramento Kings (Oct. 21), Boston Celtics (Oct. 25) and Phoenix Suns (Oct. 28).

If the Thunder elect to ease Westbrook back theoretically he could miss the first three games and OKC should still have a great shot of winning two of those matches. This would also give him another nine days of recovery time. Should he take all five games off and return for the next contest versus the Clippers October 30 that’s an extra two weeks of recovery time.

Knowing Westbrook it’s highly unlikely he’ll take the full five games if he does in fact not begin the season. But, with Dennis Schroder showing out in preseason he has the benefit of taking his time.

Still, surgery is surgery:

Surgery of any kind on Westbrook is concerning enough, but the stiffness and inflammation in his right knee was particularly worrisome due to his history. Westbrook tore the meniscus in his right knee during the playoffs in 2013, which forced him to miss time (36 games, 27 consecutively mid season) in 2014 when the knee required another procedure.

When word of Westbrook’s new ailments hit the headlines last month, he was met with a decision. Westbrook could either play through the pain or be more proactive by allowing the doctor’s to have a look, at the expense of possibly missing the first week of the season. He ultimately opted for the latter, and fortunately, there were no surprises.

Update on Russell Westbrook: He is still not cleared for full practice and is said to be progressing on schedule. Participating in some “controlled contact” portions of practice. Billy Donovan wouldn’t say whether or not Westbrook is expected to be available opening night.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) October 11, 2018

Hearing Westbrook may miss the first few games of the season is bitter-sweet. Although it was a relief a serious injury wasn’t discovered, having Westbrook out for any amount of time is concerning. The Western Conference is as strong as ever and the difference between making and missing the playoffs is paper thin.