While many people used to complain about Russell Westbrook taking too many shots or making “dumb” plays, it’s now obvious that the team needs him. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during game 2 of the Thunder’s playoff series against the Houston Rockets. They subsequently lost in the second round of the playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies. Westbrook had surgery in October to repair torn cartilage in his knee and was expected to miss four to six weeks of the regular season. But he’s back!
Thunder general manager Sam Presti released a statement Sunday afternoon:
“Russell Westbrook has gone through a methodical rehab process jointly created by our medical and performance teams and treating physicians. 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.”
Westbrook’s debut tonight will be against the 2-0 Phoenix Suns. Westbrook averaged 23.2 points. 5.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals a game in 2012-13. His return will have a major impact on the Thunder and the Western Conference playoff race as a whole.
