Russell Westbrook Vows ‘To Get Back Where I Was At’

A week removed from surgery on his broken right hand and still expected to be sidelined weeks longer, Russell Westbrook remains upbeat about his recovery and in full attack-mode for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Trying to make sense of his misfortune, the three-time All-Star guard recently met with reporters for the first time since suffering the October 30 injury against Chris Paul and the L.A. Clippers.

“I missed a shot and tried to come back up and get a rebound and I hit my hand on Perk’s (teammate Kendrick Perkins) elbow,” he said. “I knew I hurt something, I thought I dislocated my finger or something. I couldn’t tell until I got the ball back when I ran back down the court and couldn’t dribble. It was frustrating for me, but it’ll be alright. I’ll get back to where I was at.”

Whenever Westbrook is able to return, the Thunder almost certainly will need him to instantly be at his best if they are to have any chance of rebounding from the early season hole they’ve created for themselves. Reigning league MVP Kevin Durant is also sidelined by a leg injury and has yet to play this season.

With that, the Thunder have struggled to a 1-5 start, prompting the vocal Westbrook to take on the role of top cheerleader and designated morale booster.

“Just try to find a way that we can help guys,” he said. “You don’t wanna talk to nobody once you start the game because it gets annoying. You’ve got to find a way to get through to people even if it is off the floor, timeouts, whatever it is, just find a way to help the team out.”