Andre Roberson Undergoes Knee Procedure, To Be Re-Evaluated in Two Months
Per ESPN’s Royce Young, Andre Roberson had a knee procedure on Thursday after suffering a “setback” while rehabilitating the torn left patellar tendon he suffered last season. As such, he will be re-evaluated in two months — “but will likely need more time before being available to return to the floor.”
“Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson will miss at least an additional two months after undergoing a procedure Thursday following a setback during his rehab from left knee surgery, a Thunder spokesperson said.
After suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in January, Roberson was on track to return to the floor in November but because of an irritation for a suture that he couldn’t play through he needed an additional procedure.
The initial surgery to repair his patellar tendon is said to be healing properly, but the suture needed to be removed.”
Long expected to make his return early in the 2018-19 campaign, Roberson’s extended absence comes after what seemed like a relatively successful rehabilitation effort. It’s hard to say exactly when he’ll make his debut at this point, but it’s a devastating blow to a Thunder team that desperately missed their defensive ace when he went down last season. Despite his well-documented inefficiencies shooting the basketball, there’s no way to replace what a healthy Roberson provides on a nightly basis.
With Roberson out of the picture for the next few months, Billy Donovan suddenly has a question mark at the shooting guard position. Terrance Ferguson, Alex Abrines, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Abdel Nader (SF), and Hamidou Diallo are all available for a boost in playing time at the position. There will likely be an uptick in minutes for Raymond Felton. There’s also the possibility of more Russell Westbrook-Dennis Schroder lineups when Westbrook returns to the fold. As fans have seen in the past, Donovan is no stranger to trying a variety of angles in situations like these.
With the season just 12 days away, the Thunder move forward without clarity on when Roberson will return to his All-Defense level abilities. With a re-evaluation date in early December, it wouldn’t be shocking to see this linger into the new year.
