Russell Westbrook 'Getting Closer' to Joining Rockets in Orlando

Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said he expects Westbrook's transition to be "seamless," upon arriving in Orlando.

James Harden joined the Rockets in Orlando on Tuesday, and the 2017-18 MVP hit the ground running in practice on Thursday and Friday. But with less than one week until Houston's first scrimmage, the Rockets still aren't quite at full strength. 

Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook has yet to join Houston at the NBA bubble as of Sunday afternoon. The nine-time All-Star missed the Rockets' flight to Orlando on July 9, and he announced a positive COVID-19 test on July 13. No date has been set for Westbrook's return to the Rockets, but head coach Mike D'Antoni says Houston's MVP is "getting closer" to arriving in Orlando. 

"He's getting closer, but nothing to report definitely," D'Antoni told the media in a Zoom call on Sunday. "But it’s progressing. I don’t want to go too far, because I don’t know. But it’s getting better, and we’re all hopeful."

Westbrook is currently in quarantine as he waits to be cleared for a flight to Orlando. But even as Houston continues its conditioning over the next week, D'Antoni doesn't expect Westbrook to be playing catchup when he arrives. The former Thunder star is currently working out and staying in shape, leading to a likely "seamless" transition upon arriving in Orlando, per D'Antoni. 

"I do hear [Westbrook] is in pretty good shape and ramping up [his workouts]," D'Antoni said. "So hopefully it's fairly seamless, with some precaution, obviously." 

Houston will hold its first scrimmage on July 24, one week before it resumes the 2019-20 season. The Rockets will face the Mavericks on July 31 in their first regular-season game in over four months, with tip-off slated for 8 p.m. CT.