Russell Westbrook could be back in the Los Angeles Clippers' lineup exactly three weeks after having surgery on his fractured left hand. Westbrook, who suffered the injury during a game on March 1 and underwent surgery three days later, is set to return next week, possibly as soon as next Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers in Los Angeles, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Westbrook will return to a Clippers team that has been alarmingly average for the better part of two months. After going 31-8 with the best offense in the NBA (and an above-average defense) from Nov. 17 until Feb. 5, they've gone 9-10 since, with a bottom-six defense (and an offense squarely in the middle of the pack).
On Feb. 6, the Clippers had the best record in the Western Conference. Now they're in fourth place, five games out of first and three games in the loss column behind the third-place Minnesota Timberwolves, with the New Orleans Pelicans on their heels. Westbrook's injury took place halfway through this slide, and Los Angeles has to hope that he'll give them a boost off the bench when he returns.
Leading up to the injury, though, Westbrook's production was one of the reasons for the Clippers' struggles. In his nine most recent games, including the 10-minute appearance in which he broke his hand, Westbrook 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. (In the 49 games prior to 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.)
Ideally, the Clippers, who have also been without Sixth Man of the Year candidate Norman Powell for the last couple of games, will head into the playoffs with a healthy and helpful version of Westbrook. At his best, he changes games by pushing the pace after defensive stops, jumping passing lanes, crashing the offensive glass and generally providing his brand of energy and intensity. And at their best, the Clippers are a genuine title contender, with three stars, depth at every position and tons of lineup versatility. The question is whether or not he -- and they -- can find their form in the next few weeks.
If Westbrook doesn't suit up against the Pacers, he will presumably make his return on the four-game road trip that will follow. Los Angeles will visit Philadelphia next Wednesday, then go to Orlando, Charlotte and Sacramento.
