Westbrook ‘progressing,’ but not full contact yet
The world awaits Russell Westbrook's full return. Thunder coach Billy Donovan said not yet. Westbrook had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Sept. 12. At the time, the Thunder said Westbrook would be re-evaluated in four weeks. Wednesday marked four weeks from the date of his procedure.
The Thunder didn't practice Wednesday, but in the team's return to practice Thursday, Donovan said Westbrook isn't fully cleared. Westbrook has been participating in what Donovan called "controlled situations" permitted by the medical staff.
“He’s progressing. He’s doing a good job,” Donovan said. “I think every day for him he feels better and better.”
Donovan didn't know if Westbrook would be ready for the regular season. The Thunder opens the regular season Tuesday against Golden State. Before then, the Thunder will practice at least three days.
"There’s a lot of things we’re going to have to go through to get to that decision, and there’s certain things he’s going to have to go through to get himself fully cleared," Donovan said. "But he’s certainly moving in the right direction and I think he’s worked really hard at his rehab to try to get himself back.
“We haven’t gone up and down and put 10 minutes on the clock and played. We may have a controlled situation where it’s up and back, but that’s it." Donovan said Abdel
Nader (left knee soreness) and Terrance Ferguson (concussion protocol) remained out of Thursday's practice, but each were able to do non-contact work.
Grant goals
Oddly absent from Jerami Grant’s game this preseason was the dunk.
Grant is one of the most powerful dunkers in the game, but the Thunder forward only had one dunk in four preseason games. Instead, he continued to show improvement on the comfort and control driving to the basket he displayed last season.
It didn’t result in efficient finishing for Grant, 24, however. The Thunder shot poorly as a team in preseason — 40.4 percent, only the Celtics and Pistons shot worse — but Grant was second-worst on the team at 31.4 percent. Patrick Patterson shot 26.1 percent.
The preseason isn’t an accurate gauge of how a player will start the season. Donovan lauded Grant’s ability to get to the rim, but also said the shot selection could improve on pull-up jump shots, particularly from the mid-range.
Grant took only 20 pullup jump shots last season, making 40 percent. In preseason, Grant shot just 1-of-6 from 15 to 19 feet.
“I thought in the game, he’s had some really good drives to the basket this preseason. He’s not finished well around the basket,” Donovan said. “But one thing he’s got to be able to figure out is those shots that are early in the clock that are those pull-up jump shots, we can probably get that a little bit later and we should probe for something different.
“But I do think that him taking that shot at times is good because it does open up his ability to drive.”