Russell Westbrook, Paul George Making Sure They Bring In More Thunder Next NBA Season

The Oklahoma City Thunder may have not been so lucky this 2018-19 NBA season, but the early elimination could be a blessing in disguise for Russell Westbrook and Paul George. The two used the lull to remedy their respective injuries as they set their sights on a bigger 2019-20 season.

On one end, George had surgery for a partially torn tendon on his right shoulder, NBA.com reported. As of this writing, there is no confirmation on whether or not he will heal up by the time the 2019-20 NBA season comes around, although he will be evaluated before the regular season starts.

Westbrook, on the other hand, underwent two procedures. One was to repair a torn ligament on a finger in his left hand, while the other was an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee. Despite undergoing two surgeries, the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player is expected to return to basketball activities in about three weeks.

Looking at the performance of George and Westbrook last NBA season, one may barely notice that both were playing through pain. Westbrook had another triple-double season with norms of 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists per game, Manila Bulletin Sports reported. George averaged 28 points per game and led the league in steals this season although his shoulder issues took its toll during the final two months of the regular NBA wars.

"I've missed a season being hurt, so I was able to - the training staff assured me I was fine to play through it, and I will be fine going forward. I'd had no other thought in my mind but to be out there and play and ride it out with my guys," said George.

The Thunder were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs, falling to the Portland Trail Blazers in five games. It was a bit of a shocker to basketball fans considering the Thunder were seemingly doing just fine. Nevertheless, the Thunder will have to look ahead and re-evaluate their surprise exit as they try again next season. As for potential moves, it all depends on what Thunder general manager Sam Presti has in mind.

The team will still have Billy Donovan as their head coach next season and OKC will likely take a look at some of the free names in the free agent market.

Seeing how the Thunder have been taking chances on faltering NBA stars like Carmelo Anthony, it won't come as a surprise if a big name suddenly joins the mix. That would all boil down to the available money that the Thunder can still spend.