The Oklahoma City Thunder are getting healthy, as Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are eyeing their returns.
Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman has reported that both Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are on their way back to the lineup, with each participating in full practices this week. Head coach Scott Brooks didn’t want to rule out Westbrook’s return for Friday night against the Knicks, while no firm timetable has been set for Durant.
Brooks talked about the potential for Westbrook to come back Friday:
"I don’t know, I just focus on his work that he put in today and just continue to build off that. He will get evaluated later on this week and then we can make some of those decisions later on."
In reference to both Westbrook and Durant’s practices:
"They looked good. But no more than that. They’re going to continue to go through this process, and when they’re ready, 100 percent ready, they will play. But until then, nothing else we know of."
The Thunder currently sit at 3-12, dead last in both the Northwest Division and the Western Conference. If the playoffs started today, the 8-5 Sacramento Kings represent the No. 8 seed. Being six games back of a playoff spot after 15 games doesn’t mean the Thunder should be written off — not by a long shot.
If last season duplicates itself and 49 wins will be needed to get into the playoffs, the Thunder would have to go 46-21 (.686) the rest of the way. That sounds more daunting than it actually is for OKC — they finished each of the last three seasons with win percentages over .711.
They key issue here is the interim — can the Thunder hold serve while Westbrook knocks the rust off? What if Durant takes another few weeks to get completely healthy?
The Thunder are on a six-game losing streak, but the schedule is soft over the next few weeks. Over their next five games, they play four teams with losing records (Jazz, Knicks, at 76ers, at Pistons) and one game at the Pelicans, who are starting to deal with injuries themselves.
It’s been a rough start for the Thunder, but the nightmare is almost over — the franchise stars are getting close and good times will be back again in no time.