When will Russell Westbrook face the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first time in his NBA career?
After spending his first 11 NBA seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook is now a member of the Houston Rockets.
On Jan. 9, 2020, he’ll make his first trip back to OKC as a member of an opposing team.
The NBA released the schedule for the 2019-20 season on Monday, which means we now know when Westbrook and the Thunder will meet during the regular season.
Here are the dates that Thunder fans should circle on their calendars:
- Thunder at Rockets: Monday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m. ET
- Rockets at Thunder: Thursday, Jan. 9, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
- Thunder at Rockets: Monday, Jan. 20, 5 p.m. ET
Westbrook and Rockets star James Harden both started their careers in OKC, although Harden has spent the past seven seasons in Houston. He’ll now be reunited with his former Thunder teammate in Westbrook, who was sent to the Rockets this summer in exchange for Chris Paul, two lightly protected first round picks and two first round pick swaps.
Although Westbrook and Harden co-existed in OKC, it remains to be seen how the two will mesh in Houston. Harden was a low-usage sixth man with the Thunder back then, not a perennial MVP candidate who has led the league in usage rate for each of the past two seasons.
The Thunder, meanwhile, are in a state of flux.
The 34-year-old Paul won’t be a part of OKC’s long-term future, but his onerous contract — he’s owed $124.1 million over the next three years — makes it likely that he’ll at least begin the 2019-20 season with the Thunder. Once teams can begin trading free agents they signed this summer (on Dec. 15), Paul’s market could open up a bit.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whom the Thunder received from the Los Angeles Clippers as part of their trade package for Paul George, profiles as OKC’s point guard of the future. Receiving tutelage from Paul, one of the greatest floor generals of his generation, should only accelerate his learning curve.
If Gilgeous-Alexander reaches his ceiling, he could make Thunder fans forget all about Westbrook one day. In the meantime, Westbrook should receive a hero’s welcome during his OKC homecoming on Jan. 9.