Oklahoma City Thunder announced that their guard Andre Roberson is going to miss the rest of the season after rupturing the left patellar tendon in Saturday’s win against the Detroit Pistons. Roberson successfully underwent a surgery on Sunday.
“He’s certainly a huge loss,” – said Thunder’s coach Billy Donovan after the game. “Everyone’s been able to see that since he’s kinda come back to us and what he’s been able to do defensively. And he’s found a way to be, offensively, a really effective player for us.“
The injury occurred in the third quarter of the game against the Pistons when Roberson tried to catch a lob from Russell Westbrook. His leg bent awkwardly and he hit the floor hard, staying on the ground. After being examined for several minutes, he was put on a stretcher and taken off the court. Roberson missed eight Thunder games earlier in the season due to a patellar tendinitis in his left knee.
Paul George, who himself had a season-ending injury in 2014, said he will be there for Roberson during the recovery and help him.
“I’ll be there for him along the way, try to help as much as possible, putting him in a good place with the injury,” – said George. “Because I know how it is. I’ve been down that road before. So real unfortunate. But one thing about Dre, man, he’s tough, and he’s a strong person, so he’ll definitely persevere through it.“
The injury of Andre Roberson puts the Thunder in a tough spot since he was a major part of their defense, which is ranked fifth in the NBA. Although he is considered an offensive liability due to his poor shooting skills, Roberson makes up for it by being a ferocious defender. With him on the floor, Oklahoma City Thunder allows 95.9 points per 100 possessions, but without him, their defense plummets into allowing 114.5 points per 100.
