Los Angeles Clippers star point guard Russell Westbrook went down in Friday night’s win against the Detroit Pistons with a hand injury. At that point, it was not known how severe the injury was.
We now have more on this courtesy of ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The NBA insider reports that Westbrook underwent surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday. The hope is that he’ll be able to return in time for the Western Conference Playoffs in April.
While no longer the player he used to be, the 35-year-old Westbrook has played an important role in the Clippers’ return to championship contention. He’s among the top six men in the entire Association.
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Russell Westbrook stats (2023-24): 11.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 4.4 APG, 45% shooting
The former NBA MVP has taken to a backup role for a Clippers squad that enters Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a 39-20 record and as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
With Westbrook likely sidelined for the remainder of the regular season, the expectation is that Bones Hyland will see more action off the bench behind James Harden in Los Angeles.