When will Russell Westbrook return from his injury?

The Los Angeles Clippers are facing a tough time in the current part of the season, where the positions to define the conference champion and the playoff berths have to be decided. Although they had an incredible streak since December that allowed them to position themselves first in the west, the All-Star hangover has made them lose momentum. Since returning after vacation days during the All-Star weekend, they have won only four out of eight games, with a bad image in the last quarters that has caused them to lose two games with great comebacks against the Lakers and the Bucks. Unfortunately, in the victory against Washington, they suffered Westbrook’s injury, and the medical report is already out.

The player sustained a fracture in his left hand and had to undergo surgery to repair it. It is unclear whether he will be able to participate in the NBA playoffs, according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The team has not given an estimated timeline for his absence, but they will monitor his progress every week.

This is not the first time Westbrook has suffered a similar injury; he missed about a month and 14 games in 2014 while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder. If his recovery time is similar to his previous injury, he could potentially return to the court for the last games of the regular season in early April. As a substitute point guard, his participation may be crucial for the team competing for the top spots in the conference along with Oklahoma, Denver, and Minnesota.

Westbrook’s absence will affect the team’s rotation, particularly in the outside positions. Norman Powell will likely play more minutes and have more opportunities to shoot. Bones Hyland, who has received limited playing time in recent months, will benefit from Westbrook’s absence and will likely be given more minutes off the bench.