LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook — one of the league’s top sixth men — underwent surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday and there’s hope he’ll return before the start of the Western Conference playoffs in April, sources told ESPN.
Westbrook fractured his non-shooting hand in a Friday night victory over Detroit. He will now start rehabilitation to return to the Clippers, who’ve emerged as a championship contender this season.
Westbrook returned in less than four weeks after fracturing his right hand in 2014 with Oklahoma City.
Westbrook — the 2017 NBA MVP — has thrived in a sixth-man role after the arrival of James Harden in a November trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. Westbrook has averaged 11.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the Clippers this season.
The Clippers are 39-20 and fourth in the Western Conference.
This story originally appeared on ESPN
