Can Russell Westbrook Return to All-Star Level for the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook announced Tuesday that he will miss the first four to six weeks of the regular season, after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.

Westbrook is set to return in December after tearing his meniscus during the first round of the NBA Playoffs in April. The question everyone is asking is: Can Westbrook return to an All-Star level this season for the Thunder?   

Last season, Oklahoma City missed Westbrook’s presence in the playoffs, losing in five games to the Memphis Grizzlies. Small forward Kevin Durant was forced to carry the load and got very little support from the rest of the Thunder. 

Westbrook is widely considered one of the top two most athletic point guards in the NBA along side Bulls’ Derrick Rose. Rose is coming off of a knee injury of his own that forced him to miss the entire 2012-2013 season, but he says he is healthy for the upcoming season.

While Westbrook’s injury isn't nearly as bad, the question remains: Will he be able to play the same, explosive style that he is so accustomed to?

Westbrook said he fully intends on returning to a 100 percent and continuing to play the only way he knows how to play—fast.

Thunder General Manager Sam Presti told the AP, "Of course we'd like to have him on the floor as soon as possible, but in this case, although we lose a little bit of time, we gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the actual progression and recovery process of the knee itself.”

At only 24, Westbrook has a long career ahead of him and is one of the cornerstones of the Thunder organization along with Kevin Durant. While OKC may struggle in the opening months of the season, if Westbrook can come back and immediately contribute, the Thunder will compete for the top seed in the Western Conference. 

It will take a few games for Westbrook to get back to his aggressive style. But once he feels confident exploding and drawing contact he should pick up right where he left off last season. Don't be surprised to see him come back and settle for his jump shot but once that confidence comes back, he'll show that he still has the best first step in the NBA. 

Russell Westbrook is a game changer and with an 82-game schedule, it's extremely smart for him to sit out until he feels he can return to an All-Star level.