Earlier reports indicated that Russell Westbrook, the star guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder would miss the first month of the NBA season after complications arose in training camp with his off-season knee surgery. Well today we have learned that those complications were evidently not as serious as first reported, as Westbrook has been cleared to play and will be in the lineup for tonight’s game between the Thunder and the Phoenix Suns. The return means that Westbrook has missed just two games, and the Thunder are 1-1 without him this season.
“Russell Westbrook has gone through a methodical rehab process jointly created by our medical and performance teams and treating physicians,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in the release. “The process has been instrumental in getting Russell to this point and has included various physical and medical benchmarks. The final benchmark being unrestricted basketball activity. After hitting the necessary marks, all parties, including the team, consulting physicians, Russell’s representatives, and most importantly Russell, jointly determined that returning to play was the correct next step.”
The 24-year-old has reportedly been cleared to start and will not even face a minute restriction in his first game. Westbrook’s return instantly makes the Thunder a far more dangerous team as they will feature the one-two punch of Kevin Durant and Westbrook on the outside.
Last season Westbrook averaged 23.2 points, 7.4 assists, 3.3 turnovers, 1.8 steals, and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Thunder. He shot 43.8% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range.
Westbrook is a three-time all-star and considered one of the best point guards in the NBA.
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Main photo credit: Keith Allison via photopin cc
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