Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was forced out of Thursday’s game with a fractured right hand. We’ll need to wait for word from the team medical staff, but a simple fracture should sideline him for 3-4 weeks. If it turns out to be more serious, he could miss a couple of months.
Westbrook didn’t miss a single game during his first five NBA campaigns, but injuries cost him 36 games last season and now this one should cost him at least a dozen more. We can hope that this is just a series of freak injuries to a tough baller, but considering how physically aggressive his style of ball is, it’s fair to wonder if he is genuinely prone to injury at this stage of his career.
Once Reggie Jackson returns from his ankle injury, he should be a fantasy beast with
Westbrook sidelined, though we should expect his field goal percentage to drop significantly with so much more on his offensive plate.
In the meantime, Sebastian Telfair will start at the point. He had 11 points and seven dimes Thursday and is a solid short-term add in most leagues.
Westbrook and Kevin Durant have left about 35 field goal attempts per game available, so guys such as Andre Roberson and Jeremy Lamb will be worth a flier, too.
The top add, though, should be Perry Jones, who went off for 32 points (10-17 FG, 9-11 FT), 3 3s, 7 boards and 3 dimes Thursday. The 23-year-old Baylor product was one of the top natural talents in the 2012 draft and was supposed to be a long-term project on the deep Thunder roster. But now, he will be thrust into a much bigger role for at least a few weeks. He is available in 97.7 percent of ESPN leagues.
