Oklahoma City will reportedly have to do without its best perimeter defender much longer than anticipated.
A Thunder spokesman announced Thursday night that Andre Roberson will be out another two months as he recovers from the ruptured patellar tendon injury he suffered last January.
Per the Thunder, Roberson’s initial injury is healing well, but an irritation from a suture required another procedure. He will be re-evaluated by the team in two months. News of Roberson’s setback was first reported by Brett Dawson of The Athletic and Erik Horne of The Oklahoman.
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.
