Although Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t make it past the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, it looks like the team’s star players ended the season pretty banged up. According to ESPN, both of OKC’s All-Stars, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, have undergone surgeries in recent days.
George had a procedure on his right shoulder in order to repair a partially torn tendon, while also being scheduled for a smaller-scale procedure on his left shoulder. The 29-year-old will reportedly miss out the Thunder’s preseason training camp while recovering but might be ready for the start of the season.
Westbrook, on the other hand, also had surgery on his left hand to repair a torn ligament in one of the fingers while also undergoing a minor procedure on his right knee. He is, however, expected to return in time for the training camp.
Paul George had an MVP-worthy campaign in the first half of the season but started to struggle after injuring his shoulder in a game against Denver Nuggets on February 21st. After missing three games, George returned to the court but then injured his left shoulder. The injuries caused his production to slip down which greatly affected the Thunder’s overall performance and caused them to slip from the third seed to sixth seed in the West.
George ended the regular season averaging 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, reportedly played with injury on his non-shooting hand for final six weeks of the regular season and through the first round. Westbrook ended up averaging a triple-double for a third consecutive NBA season with 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 10.7 assists per game.
