Russell Westbrook announced on Tuesday that he had surgery on his right hand to prepare two broken bones.
The Denver Nuggets guard wrote that he sustained the injuries during the season, implying that he played with the fractures in his shooting hand. Westbrook made the announcement in his blog, Word of Westbrook.
“This morning, I’m undergoing surgery on my right hand to fix two breaks that happened during the season,” Westbrook wrote. “I’m grateful for everyone’s support all year and I can’t wait to be back out there 100% very soon. The comeback is already in motion.”
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Westbrook did not provide details of the precise nature of the breaks or when they happened. But it appears that he played with the fractures through some or all of Denver’s playoff run.
Russell Westbrook was apparently playing and shooting with fractures in his right hand during Denver’s playoff run. (Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images)
(Joshua Gateley via Getty Images)
A former league MVP, Westbrook was Denver’s top option off the bench last season in addition to being a spot starter. He averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 32.3% from 3-point distance.
Westbrook played exclusively off the bench during the postseason as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers in Round 1, then lost a seven-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round.
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Westbrook offered a spark off the bench at his best, but his inefficiencies on offense were frequently a problem during the postseason as he shot 39.1% from the field and 31.7% from 3 while turning the ball over 2.3 times per game. Opponents repeatedly left Westbrook open on the perimeter, daring him to shoot while double-teaming elsewhere.
Westbrook, 36, has one year remaining on a two-year, $6.8 million contract he signed to join the Nuggets as a free agent last offseason. His contract will count roughly $3.5 million against the salary cap in 2025-26.
The Nuggets are entering a high-stakes offseason in which they’ll hire a general manager to replace Calvin Booth, who was fired late in the season. The new general manager will be tasked with reconstructing a roster that was exposed for its lack of depth against the considerably deeper Thunder.
David Adelman will return as the full-time head coach after replacing the fired Michael Malone late in the season and coaching Denver through its playoff run on an interim tag.
