The Los Angeles Clippers have held out so far in games where Russell Westbrook is unavailable, having won three out of four.
Brodie missed three games so far after exiting the game against the Washington Wizards because of a hand injury.
Here’s the play where it appears that Russell Westbrook suffer his hand injury. He grabs at and flexes his hand multiple times immediately after trying to poke the ball out of Jordan Poole’s hands. https://t.co/we7FFBzDxX pic.twitter.com/vqgUTDt7px
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) March 2, 2024
Those were hard-fought wins. They had to grind it out against the Minnesota Timberwolves to pull off an 89-88 victory, while against the Houston Rockets, they had to climb a 20-point lead against the gritty young guns.
"Just feel bad for Russ right now," Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said as quoted by The Athletic.
"You never want to see a player get hurt. Jordan Poole drove around and he tried to deflect from the back. I think he hit his elbow with his hand. We don't know what timetable, don't know if he needs surgery or anything yet, but he's out right now. So just trying to figure it out."
They are missing the tenacity and defensive IQ of the former MVP.
Read more: 'Get Rid of All the Europeans' is Former All-Star's Solution to NBA Defensive Issues
When will he be able to return?
Russell Westbrook return could be soon
The 2016 MVP has already undergone surgery to fix his fractured left hand, which he also injured and recovered from in 2014.
He is now going to be evaluated week-to-week. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said there is a chance Westbrook gets to play again by playoff time.
"There's an expectation that he can be back with this team before the playoffs," he said through ESPN.
"For this Clippers team, certainly they are comforted with the idea that they will have Russell Westbrook back for the playoffs."
Westbrook is regarded as one of the toughest players in the league, although he has his fair share of injuries.
He has been sidelined by a quad injury, ankle injury, and injuries to his foot, back, and hamstring.
The one that kept him out the most number of games was his shooting hand injury in 2014.
Stepping up for Westbrook
The all-time Triple-Double leader has been the Clippers' glue guy from the bench this season.
He started the season as part of the starting five but decided to become a sixth man when James Harden joined them mid-season.
He averages 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 21 minutes of play.
More than the statistics, though, Lue misses his leadership on and off the floor.
Bones Hyland is tapped to fill in for him, although his production remains subpar.
It can be remembered that Hyland, who in early 2023 expressed excitement about being let go by the Denver Nuggets, is unhappy with his reduced role.
He is ready to contribute again.
"Bizzy's back. Bizzy's back," Hyland said, using an alternate nickname. "It's been a long time, but honestly I'm just ready to keep contributing to the team, build up these wins and carry this momentum into the thing that we all want to do."
So far, he averages around 3 points per game in 11 minutes of play each outing.
Related article: Clippers' Russell Westbrook's Injury Timeline After Surgery Revealed
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