Russell Westbrook will miss the start of the NBA playoffs
By Mike Luciano
Russell Westbrook will miss the start of the postseason.
One of the more interesting playoff series in the 2020 NBA postseason involves Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets going up against Chris Paul and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook’s old team, after the two star point guards were traded for each other this offseason. Westbrook might miss a good chunk of that series, however, as his body is causing problems once again.
The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Westbrook, fresh off testing positive for the coronavirus, is going to miss the start of the first round of the postseason due to a strained quad. Considering the nature of this injury and how it could affect a player like Westbrook that needs to be as explosive as possible, his return to action will depend on how he responds to treatment.
Rockets expect Russell Westbrook to miss at least the start of the playoffs, source said. https://t.co/WrslB1EesE
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) August 13, 2020
Russell Westbrook has played very well during his first season with the Rockets
Even though the ball-dominant Westbrook has to share the load with MVP candidate James Harden, he once again put together a fantastic statistical season, averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. Even though Austin Rivers is a quality backup, it goes without saying he isn’t in the same tier as Westbrook.
Even without Westbrook, the Rockets and their unique small-ball approach to the game will be a handful for OKC. Harden, on pace to win his third consecutive scoring title, might have too much star power for a deep Thunder team to overcome.
These can be a difficult injury, especially for a player like Westbrook who performs with such force. Clearly, Westbrook is a unique individual with a proven capacity to play through physical adversity. In Bubble playoffs, less time between games -- essentially every other day. https://t.co/9lsPlMyD4w
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 13, 2020
Related Story. Can the Rockets' defense help Houston win without Russ?. light
While Harden leading the way in Houston’s utterly unique offense could provide the Thunder with enough problems to take home a series win, any hope the Rockets have of finally breaking through and making it to the postseason relies on Westbrook getting back to full strength and the 1-2 punch of Harden and Russ once again teaming up to smite the competition.