The worst news – OK, the second-worst news – that could have struck the Oklahoma City Thunder hit with lightning force today with the announcement that Russell Westbrook needs knee surgery and could be out for the remainder of the playoffs.

So what does this mean for the Thunder? Other than the obvious – they are losing their highest-volume shooter, second-leading scorer and primary facilitator?

It’s welcome to the big time, Reggie Jackson. You are about to replace a player who averages 34 minutes a game and has never missed a game in his five-year NBA career (394 games).

And it’s time to see if another of Sam Presti’s trades – the one that sent Eric Maynor to Portland for a bag of donuts – is going to come back to haunt him. Some of us, like me, are already of the belief that the James Harden trade will haunt Presti forever. And now we get to see if it haunts the Thunder immediately, because Game 3 of the Rockets-Thunder series just got a whole lot more interesting.

The Rockets can score; they were second in the league this season at 106.0 points per game. The Thunder were third, averaging 105.7.

Houston has been held to 91 and 102 in the first two games of this series against Oklahoma City, which got 19 points and 10 assists from Westbrook in its Game 1 blowout, then 29 points from both Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Game 2 — a close-fought 105-102 victory that showed the Rockets at least had a puncher’s chance.

Now, they have even more of a puncher’s chance, because their opponent is woozy.

Here is video of Westbrook’s injury when he collided with the hip of Patrick Beverley:

For the Rockets, winning Game 3 is a must. But it isn’t going to be as hard as it would have been — unless Westbrook’s replacement can capably fill the role. And it is not an easy role.

Westbrook was an offensive machine for Oklahoma City, actually taking more shots than the higher-scoring and more efficient Durant. And he was more of a primary ballhandler than he had been in seasons past, in part because the Harden trade did not allow OKC to play Westbrook off the ball (as he did on Team USA, as well as at UCLA) as much as when paired with Harden in previous seasons.

The Thunder went 18-8 during the regular season in games in which Westbrook failed to reach 20 points.

So let’s have a look at Jackson, whose progression convinced management that Maynor, who opened the season as the backup and then became third-string, was expendable.

Jackson is a point guard out of Boston College who was the 24th pick of the 2012 draft. He played 70 games in the regular season, averaged 14 minutes, and shot 46 percent while averaging 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.0. He scored in double figures nine times, including the final three games of the regular season when he had 23 points in 36 minutes against Milwaukee, 10 points in 17 minutes against Sacramento and 17 points in 28 minutes against Portland.

Jackson appeared in three games as a member of the D-League

Tulsa 66ers (all starts) and recorded averaged of 28.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 38.0 minutes He had 37 points on 14-of-19 shooting during a win vs. the Canton Charge on Dec. 22.

Jackson primarily play against backups, which he may end up doing in Game 3 depending on the availability of Jeremy Lin. In Game 2, with Lin sitting out the second half with a chest injury, Beverley – the player whose collision with Westbrook caused the injury – had an impressive line of 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Beverley already had been inserted by coach Kevin McHale as a starter as the Rockets went with a smaller lineup.

The Thunder’s media guide provides this tidbit about Jackson: “Says if he wasn’t playing in the NBA, his dream would be to work for TNT Sports. Identifies math as favorite subject in school while listing Chinese food as his favorite type of food.”

Wonder if he knows there was a candy bar named after the more famous Reggie Jackson.

In 1976, while playing in Baltimore, baseball star Reggie Jackson had said, “If I played in New York, they’d name a candy bar after me.”

Jackson came to the Yankees the next season the Standard Brands company responded with a circular “bar” of peanuts dipped in caramel and covered in chocolate, a confection which was originally named the “Wayne Bun” as it was made in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The “Reggie!” bars were handed to fans as they walked into Yankee Stadium.

Jackson hit a home run, and when he returned to right field the next inning April 13 against Chicago, fans began throwing the Reggie bars on the field in celebration. Jackson told the press that this confused him, thinking that maybe the fans did not like the candy.

Believe me, that was not the case.

I was a 12-year-old (and eating a lot of candy) when the Reggie bar came out, and it was awesome. Whoever brings it back will make a fortune – even if they have to put the newer Reggie Jackson on the label. But that’s only happening if Jackson helps lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals, which looks a lot less possible with today’s news.