The Oklahoma City Thunder enter the 2018-19 season with high expectations, especially on the heels of Paul George’s decision to remain with the franchise moving forward. While things weren’t always rosy last season, the Thunder enjoyed flashes of brilliance and, with the trio of George, Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams in the fold, it is easy to be optimistic.
However, Oklahoma City suffered a significant loss on Thursday evening, with the team indicating that defensive ace Andre Roberson will miss at least two additional months as a result of a setback in his injury rehab.
Earlier in August, Roberson expressed reserved optimism about his return, while still indicating that he would not be ready for the start of the regular season. Still, the presence of a setback of any kind of an injury as serious as a ruptured patella tendon is disturbing enough for the Thunder to insert additional space in his return timeline.
It is important to note that the two-month timeline is only for re-evaluation and, as such, it seems unlikely that Roberson would be fully ready to go at that point. In the grand scheme, his long-term health and ability to help the Thunder in the postseason is more important than availability in October and November, but Oklahoma City will have to adjust to even more time without its defensive anchor on the wing.
Roberson propelled the Thunder's defense to elite levels last season. When he was on the floor, Oklahoma City boasted a 96.4 defensive rating -- nearly five points better than league-leading Boston (101.5) -- compared to 107.6 without him.
The team's efficiency on that end quickly fell apart when the 6-foot-7 veteran was ruled out for the rest of the 2017-18 season in late January. The 26th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, Roberson earned All-Defensive Second Team honors in 2016-17.
