Russell Westbrook averaged 11.7 points in 24 minutes per night for the Nuggets this postseason despite playing with some heavily taped fingers. While he was critical in a few wins, he also shot 39.1% for the postseason and had some rough outings as well.
A fractured hand may have contributed to that. Westbrook announced he had surgery on his hand on his blog, World of Westbrook (the Nuggets also confirmed the surgery).
“I’m undergoing surgery on my right hand to fix two breaks that happened during the season. I’m grateful for everyone’s support all year and I can’t wait to be back out there at 100% soon. The comeback is already in motion.”
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Westbrook has a $3.5 million player option for next season. At age 36, and coming off surgery, he could put himself on the free agent market, but there is unlikely to be more money for him elsewhere, and almost certainly not a better situation. Westbrook is one of those players whose game has been elevated by Nikola Jokic’s passing and ability to find him on cuts to the rim or on leak-outs.
Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds a game this season, playing almost 28 minutes a night in the 75 games he played. A Denver team looking to add depth around Jokic likely welcomes him back, but you can be sure Westbrook and his agent are kicking the tires to see if other playoff teams might be willing to pay more or have a bigger role for him.
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