Mark D. Smith – USA Today Sports Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder were rocked by news that broke on Friday afternoon that said that their star point guard, Russell Westbrook, will need surgery to repair a torn meniscus and that there is no timetable set for his return. As they are preparing for game three in their first round series with the Houston Rockets in the NBA Playoffs, that’s obviously not the news that the Thunder wanted to be getting.
However, the series and the playoffs will go on without Westbrook for now. The injury obviously greatly affects the Thunder and their chances to make it back to the NBA Finals this season. That seems pretty obvious considering that Westbrook is their leader in assists and their second leading scorer. He does so much for the team. Without him in the lineup, though, what is Oklahoma City going to have to do.
The obvious thing that has to happen is that Kevin Durant is likely going to have to increase his scoring output. Throughout this season he has shown great improvement in regards to his shot selection and in his overall game as well. With Westbrook sidelined, though, they are going to need him to take his offense to another level, scoring more proficiently and helping to facilitate the offense.
As for Westbrook’s replacement, that role is going to fall on Reggie Jackson. Over the end of the season, Jackson has proven to be a more than capable backup to Westbrook and should be okay as the starter. He’s by no means as talented as Westbrook, but he likes to push the tempo and is a fantastic athlete, much like Westbrook. It will be a drop-off at the point guard position, but it won’t be a crippling drop-off.
The biggest issue that the Thunder will likely face in regards to their personnel is the fact that Derek Fisher will likely take the role as OKC’s backup point guard. Though he had a nice quarter in the playoffs, Fisher has been abysmal since coming to the Thunder late in the season, shooting under 40 percent from the field and looking every bit of 38 years old.
Things are obviously going to be substantially different for the Thunder as they move forward in the postseason without Westbrook. They are going to miss having his explosiveness and play-making ability at point guard and will miss having a solid backup at that position. In the case of Durant needing to rise to the occasion, though, it feels like a safe bet that he will do exactly that.
Cody Williams is a Senior NBA Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.
