In some good news for Houston Rockets fans, guard Russell Westbrook announced that he will be ready to go when training camp comes around:

https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1154819883634503681

Three months ago, Russell Westbrook had surgery on his left hand to repair a ligament. He also had an arthroscopic procedure on his knee.

Throughout his 11 seasons in the NBA, Westbrook hasn't missed much time, despite a handful of knee surgeries. He has played all 82 games in three seasons and played all 66 in the lockout-shortened season. The superstar has played under 80 games in only three full NBA seasons.

This is exactly what the Rockets need right now. For all of Chris Paul's greatness, he was not a particularly reliable player because of injury problems.

In the 2017-18 season, the Rockets had the Golden State Warriors on the ropes in the Western Conference Finals. They had taken a 3-2 lead over Golden State, with a possible Game 7 set to be in Houston.

However, Chris Paul was forced to sit out the remaining two games with a hamstring injury. The Rockets lost both games to crash out of the playoffs. To this day, Rockets fans (and a good amount of basketball fans in general) believe the Rockets win that series with a healthy Paul.

Dealing with injuries is part of the NBA. It's not the Warriors' fault Paul was injured, and they deserved every bit to win the title. The Rockets hope that a durable and healthy Westbrook can help Harden take the team to new heights.