According to reports, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, and will likely miss the entire preseason and a few regular-season games for the Thunder.
The team says Westbrook decided to undergo the procedure after suffering from inflammation in the knee this past weekend. Rather than dealing with the pain throughout the regular season, he elected to have a standard scope as a pre-emptive “maintenance”.
The 29-year-old point guard has been on an absolute tear the last couple of seasons. Westbrook won the NBA’s league MVP award in 2016-17 and for the second straight season averaged a triple-double. Last season, he averaged 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 10.3 assists.
It has been four years since Westbrook has undergone surgery on his right knee. During the 2013 playoffs, Westbrook collided with former Rockets point guard Patrick Beverly and would undergo three surgeries on the knee in a nine-month span.
Thunder training camp begins Sept. 25, however, the team does not see the situation as anything to be worried about and anticipate there will be no issues following the procedure.
Westbrook will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Oklahoma City opens its season Oct. 16 against the Golden State Warriors. But, depending on this progress, there is a chance he could miss not only the game against Golden State but other ones, too.
