Westbrook underwent arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday.
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury and will miss the first 4-6 weeks of the NBA season.
The 24-year-old had arthroscopic surgery in his right knee on Tuesday to reduce swelling, and as a result OKC have confirmed that it will push his recovery timetable back by around a month to six weeks.
It will come as a bitter blow for both the player and the franchise, as it will likely take an additional month or so for Westbrook to be managed and feel entirely comfortable on the floor.
The Thunder PG suffered the injury in the play-offs last season against the Houston Rockets in a collision with Patrick Beverly, and with Kevin Durant as their sole point scorer they were ultimately eliminated in the second round.
Thunder GM Sam Presti revealed that while the meniscus had healed properly, the medical staff decided that it was necessary to carry out the procedure in order to reduce the swelling and clean the knee out.
“The origin of the swelling that was discovered was caused by the presence of a loose stitch,” he said according to Pro Basketball Talk.
“Although we lost a little bit of time, we gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the recovery and the knee itself…”
“We all know (Westbrook). His work and his diligence through this process has been nothing short of spectacular,” he concluded.
Westbrook averaged 23.2 points and 7.4 assists per game last season, and although he will be back in full swing for the conclusion of the regular season and a play-off run, there are questions over whether his absence will hurt Oklahoma City in terms of seeding.
Reggie Jackson is likely to feature more heavily, but there is perhaps a lack of depth and quality in this current Thunder roster.
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