Russell Westbrook Could Miss Thunder's Season Opener vs. Warriors After Getting Knee Surgery
The Oklahoma City Thunder could be without their MVP point guard to start the season because Russell Westbrook had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, the team announced.
The team says the seven-time All-Star will be re-evaluated in four weeks, which according to ESPN.com's Royce Young, could mean Westbrook is forced to miss the preseason. Young adds that the team has "no rush" to get Westbrook on the court before he is completely healthy, so depending on what his status is after getting re-evaluated in October, he could also miss the season opener on Oct. 16 against the Warriors.
Westbrook started his career by playing every game each of his first five seasons. In the 2013 postseason, he suffered a meniscus tear that led him to get three surgeries in his right knee over an eight month span and contributed to him only playing 46 games in the 2013-14 season.
A hand injury the next season kept Westbrook sidelined for almost all of November 2014, but since then, he has played in all but six games for the Thunder.
Wednesday's surgery is being described as "maintenance" and a "proactive procedure" that was a response to Westbrook experiencing inflammation in his knee this past weekend.
The 2016-17 MVP is coming off the second straight season in which he averaged a triple double and the first season he led the NBA in assists.
