So, um, what’s up doc?
Russell Westbrook plays at the speed of light. He is the most aggressive, athletic point guard in the league, and over the past 30 days, in which he put up numbers only 1 other player–Oscar Robertson–has been able to achieve over a 30-day span in NBA history, he may very well be the best.
That being said, his style of play comes at a price. We’ve already seen him go down with serious knee injuries over the past couple of seasons, and early this season he suffered a hand injury that kept him out for a month. Last night, in the waning seconds of a tough loss against the Blazers, against whom the Thunder had a double-digit lead in the 4th quarter, Westbrook hit the deck during the scramble to defend an in-bounds pass, and his own teammate, Andre Roberson, tripped over him. Westbrook took a knee to the head, and the impact actually left a dent in Westbrook’s face. Literally, a mark so vicious it was visible to the naked eyes of those watching on their TV sets.
Today, Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer Royce Young and Yahoo! Sports‘ Adrian Wojnarowski were able to provide a little insight as to the MVP candidate’s latest setback.
Some speculation Westbrook’s dent could be a fracture of the zygomatic arch. JR Smith had one last year and played through it wearing a mask
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 28, 2015
Westbrook underwent a successful procedure to address a fracture to the zygomatic arch. Will miss tomorrow and be re-evaluated this week.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 28, 2015
Russell Westbrook won’t miss much time with surgery. “If he had a playoff game (Sunday), he could play,” league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 28, 2015
It’s a lucky outcome for the Thunder, who can’t afford to go without their superstar point guard. Kevin Durant could be back this week, but that isn’t definite, and as the final 6 weeks of the season approach, there’s no time to be playing musical chairs on the Thunder’s bench.
