Anyone who follows the NBA knows just how fantastic Russell Westbrook has been for the Oklahoma City Thunder. They also know that OKC’s roster is a bit thin in terms of depth this season and can’t afford significant injuries at virtually any position. Yet the Thunder will have to forge on without backup big man Enes Kanter after he fractured his forearm in a fit of frustration last night. Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman has more:
There had been a missed free throw and blown layup. There had been a charge.
It had been a frustrating start Thursday night for Enes Kanter. A momentary outburst could cost the Thunder center some significant time.
Kanter punched a chair on the Oklahoma City bench in frustration in the second quarter of Thursday’s 109-98 win against the Dallas Mavericks at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
There’s no timetable for his return, Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after the game, but Yahoo Sports reported Kanter could be out six to eight weeks.
“I’m disappointed personally because I think Enes had been playing very good basketball,” Donovan said. “He’d kind of carved out a niche coming off the bench for us with that second unit. He was a guy that generated offense for us.”
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His absence is significant for a Thunder second unit that relies on him to generate offense, both as a low-post scorer and, increasingly in recent games, as a passer out of double-teams.
Russell Westbrook called it “very unfortunate” that the injury was self-inflicted, but Kanter’s teammates were understanding afterward. Steven Adams, who said he’d never seen Kanter erupt in that way, said Kanter’s frustrations were “continuous things” that “just exploded.”
After he hit the chair, Kanter remained on the bench briefly, at one point holding a blue cushion over his face. He ultimately went back to the locker room, and x-rays later confirmed his fracture.
“Something like that, bro, he didn’t mean to do it, obviously,” Adams said. “It’s just one of those really frustrating times, and he just happened to do what he did. He’s already hard on himself. Nobody else can be as hard on him as he is on his himself.”
