Veteran All-Star Russell Westbrook underwent surgery on Monday to repair his fractured left hand, so the questions remains, will he be back this season?
“…the hope is he’ll be able to return before the playoffs start in April, a person not authorized to speak publicly on the matter confirmed to The Times,” Broderick Turner reports.
“Westbrook will be reevaluated weekly to determine his status.”
If Westbrook does return in April, LAC will play eight games in 14 days, including two back-to-backs, before the postseason starts.
The nine-time All-Star injured his non-shooting hand in a game against the Wizards on Friday at at Crypto.com Arena.
Russ reached in from behind for an unsuccessful steal against Washington guard Jordan Poole and could be seen trying to stretch and flex his hand afterwards.
Since the Clippers traded for James Harden, Westbrook has been coming off the bench and has been one of the best sixth men in the league this season.
The Clippers went 35-13 after Westbrook started coming off the bench.
Harden knows just how much his presence will be missed on the court.
“…[We’ll miss] everything he brings to the game. His athleticism, his energy, his playmaking ability, his leadership.”
While Westbrook is injured, the Clippers will be using Bones Hyland as their backup point guard.
Russ is averaging 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists on 45.2 percent shooting from the field.
He appeared in the first 58 games for the Clippers in 2023-24 before his injury.
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