Regardless of Russell Westbrook present process surgical procedure on his fractured left hand, there may be optimism that he’ll be capable to return by April earlier than the beginning of the playoffs.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that sources had indicated that was the hope across the Clippers, who sit in fourth within the Western Convention going into Monday evening’s recreation towards the Bucks.
Westbrook had fractured his hand throughout the first half of the Clippers’ win over the Wizards on Friday evening at Crypto.com Area.
The Clippers’ sixth man was making an attempt to poke a ball away from Jordan Poole when the harm occurred.
“I simply really feel dangerous for Russ proper now,” Lue advised reporters after the sport on Friday. “You by no means need to see a participant get damage. … I don’t know if he wants surgical procedure or something but, however he’s out proper now, so simply making an attempt to determine it out.”
Westbrook had made it again to the court docket in lower than 4 weeks after fracturing his proper hand in 2014 whereas nonetheless with the Thunder.
Westbrook has had important success in LA for the reason that Clippers traded for James Harden, which moved him to a job off the bench.
Harden had advised reporters on Friday that the Clippers would miss Westbrook’s “athleticism, his power, his playmaking capacity, management.”
Bones Hyland and Brandon Boston Jr. will decide up the slack with Westbrook out for a time frame.
“It’s been a very long time, however truthfully I’m simply able to preserve contributing to the group, construct up these wins and carry this momentum into the factor that all of us need to do,” Hyland advised the Orange County Register over the weekend.
Westbrook has averaged 11.1 factors, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists this season in 58 video games this season.