The Oklahoma City Thunder ended their season with another disappointing first-round playoff loss, and now their focus is to have their stars healthy for the 2019-2020 season. Both of their top two contributors have already undergone surgeries this off-season, one of which will lead in to the 2019 NBA Preseason. First, Paul George underwent a procedure on his rotator cuff to repair a torn tendon in his right shoulder. Following this surgery, George is expected to miss at least the beginning of the Preseason come September. The former Indiana Pacers star is also expected to undergo another surgery to repair a small tear in the labrum of his left shoulder.
The injury is something that bothered George for much of the second half of the season, as he was an MVP candidate before the ailment began to bother him. He was also a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but his production went down, as the Thunder attempted to keep him healthy for the postseason. He is expected to make a full recovery from the injury that he suffered on February 26th against the Denver Nuggets. Although, Oklahoma City will not put an official timetable for his return until the preseason. George ended his second season with the Thunder averaging 28 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Russell Westbrook also underwent a couple procedures, including one to repair a torn ligament in a finger on his left hand. He also underwent another small procedure on his right knee, but that is nothing serious, according to sources close to the team. He reportedly played with the injury to his finger for the final six weeks of the season, but never officially revealed what the issue was. He was taping and treating the finger for most of the spring, That did not stop Westbrook from averaging a triple-double for the season, leading OKC to a sixth-seed, this after holding the three seed for a good period of time. They were 38-21 before the injury to George, but went 11-12 the rest of the way.
The injury is something that bothered George for much of the second half of the season, as he was an MVP candidate before the ailment began to bother him. He was also a Defensive Player of the Year candidate, but his production went down, as the Thunder attempted to keep him healthy for the postseason. He is expected to make a full recovery from the injury that he suffered on February 26th against the Denver Nuggets. Although, Oklahoma City will not put an official timetable for his return until the preseason. George ended his second season with the Thunder averaging 28 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Russell Westbrook also underwent a couple procedures, including one to repair a torn ligament in a finger on his left hand. He also underwent another small procedure on his right knee, but that is nothing serious, according to sources close to the team. He reportedly played with the injury to his finger for the final six weeks of the season, but never officially revealed what the issue was. He was taping and treating the finger for most of the spring, That did not stop Westbrook from averaging a triple-double for the season, leading OKC to a sixth-seed, this after holding the three seed for a good period of time. They were 38-21 before the injury to George, but went 11-12 the rest of the way.
