Clippers’ Russell Westbrook suffers left hand fracture

The 2016-17 league MVP, Westbrook has made nine All-NBA teams over the course of his 16-year career. After the Clippers traded for James Harden, Westbrook has primarily come off the bench in 2023/24, averaging 11.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 4.5 APG and 1.1 SPG on .451/.268/.672 shooting in 57 games (22.8 MPG).

Westbrook is the second player to suffer a fractured left hand on Friday, joining Raptors forward Scottie Barnes.

While Westbrook, 35, is clearly no longer in his prime, he’s still a terrific rebounder for a guard who can get in the paint and make plays. Earlier in the season, he talked about being keyed in defensively.

Before the Harden trade, Bones Hyland was the team’s backup point guard, and now that Westbrook is injured, he’ll likely receive some rotation minutes.

Westbrook holds a $4M player option for 2024-25.