Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti said the team won't try to rush star point guard Russell Westbrook to be ready for the start of the regular season, according to ESPN's Royce Young. Presti maintained that the organization has never pushed a player to return from injury and it won't start with Westbrook, its franchise player.
Westbrook underwent an arthroscopic knee surgery a week ago and is slated to miss four weeks, putting him in danger of missing the season-opener.
While the 2017 NBA MVP is the engine that makes this team run, the team will be forced to slowly gear him into playing shape and save him from himself, knowing the competitor in him will want to take the floor as soon as possible.
This scope will also be Westbrook's fourth knee procedure of his professional career, and while arthroscopy is only consider for injuries that have happened in the past, it's worth noting that they could be recurring procedures that can linger throughout a career.
Westbrook should have more freedom this season, playing without Carmelo Anthony and having a more capable backup in Dennis Schroder, who should see the floor alongside him as well during offensive-minded, small-ball rotations.
The Thunder will open the season on the road on Oct. 16, visiting the defending champion Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.
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