The lost season: What’s next for OKC Thunder defensive master Andre Roberson?
By Alex Mcewen
Aiming for an Early Return
If all goes according to plan this summer, Roberson should be ready for training camp, in late September. Perhaps, Dre can even get in some summer workouts organized by Westbrook. All this is a big if, considering Dre has endured multiple setbacks throughout his recovery journey.
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A setback-free summer would be a large step for Roberson to allow his knee as much downtime as possible before embarking on a taxing NBA regular season. Due to PG’s unknown timeline, Dre’s presence and health will become that much more valuable to the Thunder.
Contrary to popular belief, Roberson is still important to the Thunder. So long as Dre comes back and displays some resemblance of his former self, not only will Oklahoma City gain an elite defender on the hardwood, they will also possess a movable contract as Roberson is in the final year of a three-year $30-million deal (although I hope they do not move him).
It will be nice to witness Roberson make his much anticipated return, the rust will be evident, his confidence unstable, but his motor and heart will be on full display. The latter two intangible components are some of the most critical in sports.
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Dre possesses such traits; therefore, although it will take a bit of time, he will be just fine.