When will Russell Westbrook return to the Los Angeles Clippers?

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Clippers fans this season with the team dominating initially and then slipping. Throw in an injury to a key player and it’s not hard to see how the team has found itself in its current position.

Russell Westbrook is set to return soon

According to reports, the Los Angeles Clippers may get to welcome back Russell Westbrook as soon as Monday, when the team will face the Indiana Pacers in Los Angeles. Exactly three weeks after he had surgery on his left hand, following a fracture during a Game on March 1st, Westbrook will come back into a team that has been average at best for almost two months now. This was after a 31-8 record between November and early February which was good enough to qualify as the No. 1 offense in the league.

Since February, the Clippers have gone 9-10 i.e., from the best record in the Western Conference to fourth place and five games off of first. Where Westbrook himself is concerned, the injury occurred in the middle of that rut, which is to say that the Clippers will be hoping he can breathe some life back into the team. On the other hand, it’s got to be said that part of the reason the team’s form dropped was due to Westbrook’s lack of production. In the 10 games prior to his injury, the former MVP (2017) shot a combined 31-for-88 (35.2%), including 4- for-24 from 3-point range (16.7%), with per-36-minute averages of 15.1 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. When compared with the 50 games before that, Westbrook shot 47% from the field and 28.9% from 3-point range, with per-36-minute averages of 18 points, 7.4 assists, and 8.7 rebounds.

This is not to say that the Clippers’ collective struggles recently are Westbrook’s fault. Indeed, the team has also had to deal with the absence of Norman Powell, a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. Yet, there is no point in denying that without a Healthy Russell Westbrook, the Clippers’ chances of a deep playoff run will take a hit. With his unique brand of high-intensity basketball, it’s clear that the former Lakers man is essential to the cause. The only question now is whether he can get back to full fitness in time to help the team fight for it.