The Los Angeles Clippers season has taken a turn for the worse after star guard Russell Westbrook suffered a fractured left hand during a recent Clippers win over the Wizards. Westbrook has been a thriving presence for the Clippers on the floor when coming off the bench this year, averaging 11.1 ppg/5.1rebounds /4.4 assists per game.
It’s been announced that Bones Hyland will serve the backup point guard role during Westbrook’s absence from the team. Per sources, the Clippers anticipate Westbrook will be ready to return to action prior to the start of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Westbrook’s high pace intensity on the court along with his on ball defensive tenacity will be missed over the next 4-5 weeks.
Any injury to a player is never welcomed, as the only bright spot regarding this situation is at least it didn’t happen in the middle of the Clippers playoff push. Despite leading the Pacific Division this season with a record of 40-21, the Clippers have struggled this season when playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder. These two teams could potentially be headed for a first-round matchup when it’s all said and done depending upon the seeding in the Western Conference Playoffs.
Clippers coach Tyron Lue has done an outstanding job thus far navigating them to first place status in the Pacific Division. However, there’s still some crucial games and time left in this 2023-2024 season. The biggest thing for the Los Angeles Clippers is if they can stay healthy heading into the post season, especially Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. It seems to me that the Clippers have something to prove this year, especially since it’s their last time sharing the Crypto.com arena with their cross town rivals the Los Angeles Lakers.
We shall see how things play out over the next 6-8 weeks. One thing I do know is that head coach Ty Lue will have them ready regardless of who’s in or out of that Clipper lineup.