Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook reportedly underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, a procedure that has been described as a "preemptive maintenance." ESPN's Royce Young notes that Westbrook experienced some stiffness in the knee over the last week during individual workouts while preparing for training camp.
This is the same knee that required three surgeries in a nine-month span following his collision with Patrick Beverley during the 2013 playoffs that resulted in a torn meniscus. However, Westbrook has not had any operations on the knee in four and a half years.
According to reports, Westbrook will be re-evaluated in four weeks, meaning he'll likely miss the entire pre-season and possibly some games of the regular season. The Thunder open the season on the road against the defending champion Golden State Warriors on October 16. Training camp is scheduled to begin on September 25.
The 29-year old point guard averaged a triple-double for the second consecutive season last year, posting 25.4 points, 10.3 assists and 10.1 rebounds per game. The Thunder finished fourth in the Western Conference with a 48-34 record, but we're eliminated by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.