Russell Westbrook Will Be MVP Candidate without Kevin Durant

There’s nothing worse in the world of sports than injuries. It’s an out-of-our-hands occurrence that, without a moment’s notice, pulls a competitor away from what they’ve committed their life to.

The injury bug struck again. This time, it hit the reigning NBA MVP Kevin Durant.

Consequently, it opened the door for his teammate, Russell Westbrook, to emerge as a new candidate.

This article is not an attempt to make light of the injury or to be insensitive. Instead, it’s acknowledging the brutal reality that the season will go on, thus meaning new and familiar names will rise in the race for MVP.

Westbrook is one of them.

Per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti gave an official statement on the timetable for Durant’s return and the injury he’s facing.

According to InjuryJournal.com (H/T Matt Moore of CBS Sports), Durant’s timetable depends entirely on the healing process.

"The studies reveal that all “tuberosity avulsion fractures” (Zone 1, according to Lawrence and Botte) heal well using functional treatment. Even multifragmentary, displaced and intraarticular fractures in Zone 1 give comparable good results. Treatment with a short leg cast leads to a significant delay in return to preinjury level when compared to functional treatment. “Jones’ fractures” (Zone 2) also demonstrate good to excellent results and complete bone healing when treated functionally. In contrast, “diaphyseal stress fractures” (Zone 3) at the distal limit of the fourth-fifth intermetatarsal articulation and just distally feature a significantly higher rate of treatment failure when treated non-operatively in a non-weight bearing short leg cast. Early intramedullary screw fixation leads to a significantly shorter time to bone healing and return to sport."

Six-to-eight weeks would be roughly a month-and-a-half the 2014-15 regular season. It could be longer if the healing process complicates.

The question is, what does this mean for the Thunder moving forward? More applicably, what does it mean for Westbrook?

It means Westbrook has the genuine opportunity to win MVP.

Revisiting the 2014 NBA Playoffs

The 2014 NBA Playoffs were something of a launching pad for Russell Westbrook. The polarizing Oklahoma City Thunder star shined at times in which Kevin Durant struggled and joined rare company with the feats he achieved.

In case you forgot, Westbrook joined Michael Jordan as the only players in postseason history with at least 40 points, 10 assists and five steals in a single game.

That only scratches the surface of what Westbrook was able to do in the 2014 NBA Playoffs.

Do you still need more to convince you of Westbrook’s star status?

Fine, one more.

That’s what you call a legendary postseason.

In its entirety, Westbrook finished with averages of 26.7 points, 8.1 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. His turnovers were high and a slash line of .420/.280/.884 leaves room for improvement, but Westbrook was sensational.

He stepped up to lead OKC past the Memphis Grizzlies in a series in which Tony Allen contained Kevin Durant. The 25-year-old point guard had 27 points, 16 assists, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block in Game 7.

Westbrook then dominated the Los Angeles Clippers’ defense with an average of 27.8 points per game on 49.1 percent shooting from the floor. That includes a 31-point triple-double with Oklahoma City down 0-1 and 38 points with the series tied at 2-2.

The Thunder ultimately fell to the San Antonio Spurs, but it wasn’t without Westbrook going off for 40 points, 10 assists and five steals in Game 4, and 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals in Game 6.

In other words, Westbrook further proved that he has the ability to be one of the best players in the league. Such was already known.

The question is, can he do it on his own?

Becoming “The Man” in Oklahoma City

To loosely quote the ubiquitous Aloe Blacc, everyone wants to be, “The Man.” When a star player’s teammate is Kevin Durant, however, it’s almost impossible to warrant a superstar’s level of touches or opportunities.

Russell Westbrook is about to get that chance.

With Durant set to miss at least a month-and-a-half, Westbrook will become the leader both in the preseason and early regular season. In that time, he’ll be forced to both lead the team in scoring and facilitate an offense without its leading scorer.

Thus, Westbrook will receive the opportunity to do something he’s rarely done during his NBA career: play regular season games without Durant.

KD isn’t the only key player that the Thunder will be missing.

According to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman, guard Reggie Jackson could miss time with a right wrist contusion.

Jackson was expected to start at shooting guard after something of a breakout season in 2013-14. Even if he is available, this injury temporarily hinders the development of he and Westbrook as the starting backcourt.

Assuming Jackson is healthy for the regular season, Westbrook’s fellow starters would include he, Serge Ibaka, Jeremy Lamb and Kendrick Perkins.

Steven Adams, Nick Collison, Perry Jones, Anthony Morrow and Andre Roberson are quality players added to the mix, but there’s no offensive star power.

Much as Durant had to do in 2013-14, Westbrook will be asked to keep a championship contender in rhythm in the absence of one of its top two players.

If Durant were to miss a month and return during the first game of December, Westbrook would play 17 games as OKC’s leader. That’s not a massive sample size, but it’s big enough for a player to build the start of an MVP case.

Paul George of the Indiana Pacers was a prime example of that in 2013-14 before he and his team had a mini-collapse.

For Westbrook, it comes down to how long Durant is out and how well he performs in his absence. It could be complicated when Durant returns, but that bridge will be crossed when it’s reached.

If history tells us anything, it’s that Westbrook will have no problem maintaining his aggressive style of play.

Once KD Returns

Focusing solely on talent and status, there’s no debate about who the lead player is on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Kevin Durant has already won more scoring titles than all but three players in NBA history at 26 years of age.

That doesn’t mean Durant is guaranteed to get more touches or field goal attempts once he returns.

During the 2012-13 regular season, there was a shocking statistic. It wasn’t about scoring averages or double-doubles, but instead opportunities.

Westbrook attempted 18.7 field goal attempts per game. Durant put up 17.7.

They’ve always been close in that regard, but the fact that Westbrook took more shots is telling. It’s also a sign of maturity from 2012-13 to the 2014 Playoffs.

In 2012-13, Westbrook had a higher usage rate, 31.2, than Durant at 27.4. In fact, Westbrook had a higher usage rate than Durant in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.

It’s fair to debate whether or not that should have happened, and it’s clear that Westbrook playing point guard inflates that statistic. During the 2014 Playoffs, however, a change occurred from what we’re accustomed to witnessing.

Durant and Westbrook, for all of the flack they’ve received, began to find the proper balance.

Westbrook, the 2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, focused more on man-to-man defense and facilitating. Durant, the best scorer on the planet, pummeled defenses with unstoppable shots.

This ever-evolving tandem began to hit its stride without James Harden’s balancing presence.

The result was Durant averaging 29.6 points on 46.0 percent shooting in a postseason in which some suggested he was struggling. Westbrook ripped off the previously alluded to feats and became the new Mr. Triple-Double.

Assuming Durant takes back the reins as the lead scorer and Westbrook continues to be an all-around force, both will be perennial MVP candidates.

The balance they’d achieve could be something of a more perimeter-oriented Julius Erving and Moses Malone type of deal. Both would be in the conversation for MVP, and neither would significantly hinder the other’s odds.

Instead, Durant’s presence would help Westbrook improve as a facilitator and enable him to focus more on defense.

Throughout his career, all that Westbrook’s style of play has been demanding has been the opportunity to shine on his own. In 2014-15, he’ll have the chance do that for a presently unknown period of time.

If he’s able to make the most of his chances and play as well as he’s proven capable, Westbrook will emerge as an MVP candidate.