Oklahoma City Thunder: Biggest Concerns After Russell Westbrook's Surgery

News broke Monday of Russell Westbrook undergoing a second arthroscopic surgery on his right lateral meniscus, which will keep him out of play for the first four to six weeks of the season. Despite the surgery being successful, concerns are beginning to arise for both Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The setback is certainly discouraging to Thunder Nation. OKC fans expected their All-Star point guard to be back for the first couple games, if not the start, of the regular season. 

We saw Westbrook's value last postseason after he underwent the original knee surgery which kept him from playing the remainder of the series against Houston and the entire series against Memphis. The Thunder were knocked out of the playoffs by the Grizzlies in a 4-1 series. 

With Westbrook's return to the Thunder set back further into the season, what will be the effects? Will this setback prove to be a huge obstacle or just a minor one?

These are the biggest concerns for the Oklahoma City Thunder after Westbrook's surgery. 

How will this affect Westbrook?

Nobody is more frustrated than Westbrook at this point. After watching his team struggle in the postseason last year and then spending an entire offseason rehabilitating his knee, Westbrook will now have to go through the process all over again. 

But the main question is whether Westbrook will be the same explosive player he was before his injury.

After all, players known for making explosive cuts and sharp turns put a lot of pressure on their knees. On ESPN LA Now, orthopedic surgeon Robert Klapper suggested Westbrook may have trouble performing the way he is accustomed to after his knee surgeries. 

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Well, just like real estate, what do they say? Location, location, location. When we are talking about the lateral meniscus, the meniscus on the outside of your knee, versus the medial meniscus, the difference between the two is the lateral meniscus gets all the rotational pivoting when you make maneuvers. And that is Russell Westbrook’s game. It’s not just a pounding structure, it’s actually a rotatory stabilizer. So his game is absolutely going to be impacted because it’s the lateral meniscus and not the medial meniscus.

"

While this information is pretty disturbing to Thunder fans, let's remember that in Tuesday's news release from the Thunder, we were informed that the second surgery confirmed Westbrook's initial surgery was "successful," and the cause for surgery was swelling from a "loose stitch."

So while Dr. Klapper suggests Westbrook's surgery Tuesday was to repair his meniscus, there may be some misunderstanding of the procedure Westbrook underwent. 

How will this affect the Thunder?

If we learned anything last postseason, it is that Westbrook is a huge part of the Thunder's offense. 

With Westbrook out of the rotation, the Thunder offense was stagnant and relied heavily on the performance of Kevin Durant. We did see a couple players step up in Westbrook's absence like Reggie Jackson and Derek Fisher, but it was not enough to make it out of the second round against Memphis. 

With Westbrook now expected to miss four to six weeks, he could miss up to 18 games of the season. During those games, the Thunder play important games: the Clippers twice, the Warriors twice, and the Spurs and Pacers once. 

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The Thunder play the Suns Nov. 3 in their home opener. Down Westbrook, I'm excited about the 200 points Kevin Durant will score that night.

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) October 1, 2013"

Needless to say, the Thunder will need to somehow figure out where to get offense from players not named Russell Westbrook. 

Royce Young on DailyThunder.com gave a win-loss prediction for the Thunder if Westbrook misses the first 18 games. 

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If Westbrook were completely healthy, I’d estimate the Thunder would go something like 14-4 in those opening 18. Without him, they still might be able to get close to that, but 11-7 would be pretty good, I think.

"

Let's remember, the months of November and December are the least important of the NBA season. It's more about a team's performance in the month of April.

Teams have to perform consistently enough throughout the regular season to clinch a playoff berth, but you have to think the first 18 games of the season will not hinder the Thunder's chances of getting into the playoffs. 

Who will step up in Westbrook's absence?

Believe it or not, the Thunder have a viable option to replace Westbrook at point guard for the time being: Reggie Jackson. He showed last postseason that he is capable of filling the void.

But let's remember, he still is not Russell Westbrook.

Jackson's play somewhat resembles Westbrook's with explosive speed and great ability in attacking the rim. He needs a little work on his jump shot, but he seemed to be progressing on that part of his game in the Thunder's summer league. 

But here is the scary part. If something happens to Jackson early in the season, then the Thunder's next option is Derek Fisher. Not saying Fisher is not a solid player, but his age and mobility hinder him from being the point guard the Thunder need. 

Will this result in the Thunder making a move to acquire another point guard option? It would be a bold move since we're talking about a timetable of four to six weeks. But it certainly cannot be counted out. 

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