Paul George And Russell Westbrook Both Underwent Offseason Surgery

Getty Image

The Oklahoma City Thunder saw their season come to an end after Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers knocked them out of the playoffs.

It was a series in which Paul George was obviously struggling with the injured shoulder that plagued him during the second half of the season, while Russell Westbrook was never able to really get going, which was an issue for him throughout the year.

Now that the pair can focus on getting right before the 2019-20 season tips off, both went under the knife to repair a pair of ailments, according to the latest reports. George underwent surgery on his right shoulder, while Westbrook got procedures done on a finger on his left hand and right knee.

Via Adrian Wojnarowski and Royce Young of ESPN:

George and Westbrook played with the injuries in the final weeks of the Thunder’s season, when a run for the 3-seed in the Western Conference playoff race culminated with them finishing sixth and losing in the first round to the Portland Trail Blazers.

While Westbrook’s injuries were no laughing matter — the finger injury reportedly bugged him for the final six weeks of the year, whereas his knee procedure was “proactive maintenance” — he’s expected to be able to spend this summer preparing for 2019. George, meanwhile, had some more serious work done.

His right shoulder had a partial tendon tear that required rotator cuff surgery, and sometime in the future, he’ll also need to go under the knife to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Combined, these are expected to cause him to miss at least the beginning of training camp.

Oklahoma City’s future is tied directly to the health of their two All-Stars, so a close eye will certainly be paid to the pair making sure they get back to 100 percent heading into next year. It appears that will be the case with Westbrook, but a long summer looks to be on the horizon for George.

×