Why Russell Westbrook Is The Best Player In The NBA
By Aaron Mah
Humans, by all accounts, are supposed to suffer a decline in athleticism with each passing injury – especially if it’s followed subsequently by multiple surgeries. Russell Westbrook, apparently, is not human.
Conversely, Westbrook gets stronger, more explosive, more reckless — and, overall, much more dynamic — every time he goes under the knife. Sooner or later, it wouldn’t be that surprising if Westbrook morphs into a basketball cyborg/mutant.
[Note: He is doing this after two knee surgeries and a broken hand in an 18-month span. BTW, as ferocious as that dunk was, the “galloping-stomp” post-dunk celebration was perhaps even better.]
[A Further Note: Just imagine being the opposing team’s point guard, and how intimidated you would be after seeing that vicious dunk/celebration combo. I, for one, would be pissing my pants.]
Thus far this season, albeit in a limited sample of games, Westbrook is averaging 27.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on a 58.2 True Shooting percentage in just 30.9 minutes per game.
If you extrapolate his production out to the 34 minutes per game Westbrook has played over the span of his career, he would be averaging a jaw-dropping 30-6-8-2 — a combination of production and efficiency the NBA have not witnessed since Michael Jordan laced up his Air Jordan’s in the late ’80s.
Many have argued that Westbrook has always been — spiritually and emotionally — the alpha male of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This season, with Kevin Durant easing himself back into MVP form, Westbrook has snatched the reins as the undisputed leader of OKC.
Spearheaded by his trademark passion and non-stop motor, the Thunder are 10-2 since the return of Westbrook. Consequently, OKC is one of the hottest teams in the NBA — ambushing their way up the Western Conference standings.
Undoubtedly, with his current level of play and impact on wins, Westbrook has been playing the best basketball any individual in the NBA has played this season.
The only players comparable in terms of overall dominance, based solely on their performances this season, are Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Stephen Curry — with all due respect to LeBron James, who may still be the best player in the world when it’s all said and done, but has clearly lost a step or two in terms of his athletic ability, and KD.
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Which begs the question: can Westbrook sustain such an insane level of production?
Since entering the league in 2008, many have questioned if Westbrook is truly a “point guard.” Equipped with otherworldly athleticism, Westbrook is an erratic, turnover-prone player. Moreover, his shot selection — namely, his propensity to unleash pull-up 3s and long 2s with 20 seconds left on the shot clock — can frustrate basketball purists.
However, with the advent of the no handchecking and illegal defense-free rules the NBA implemented in the mid-2000s, the role of the point guard has changed.
The quintessential pure point guard, who brought the ball up, initiated the offense, and managed the allocation of shots, is simply not as effective — sans Rajon Rondo, who can dominate a game without scoring — in today’s NBA.
The modern-day point guard is, in most instances, required to be the team’s primary playmaker. Instead of dumping the ball down in the low post, like yesteryear, teams mostly initiate high pick-and-rolls to create offensive opportunities.
As such, point guards who can get into the paint to finish at the rim and/or promote the drive-and-kick game have become the prototypical point guard.
If judging Westbrook by the textbook definition of a point guard, he would fail in all regards — however, considering the added responsibility of the modern-day point guard, Westbrook is as dynamic as they come.
But, as mentioned, the Russell Westbrook experience does not come without its warts. He still commits a high rate of turnovers — usually as a direct result of trying the impossible — and his ability to initiate the offense, particularly, getting the ball to Durant in his sweet spots, is still below average.
Save for his turnovers and initiation skills, Westbrook have been a different player this season. More specifically, Westbrook is attacking, and getting, to the rim more frequently than ever. Accordingly, Westbrook’s scoring efficiency has spiked, as a larger proportion of his points are deriving from layups and free throws.
Percentage of FGA* | |||||
| At the Rim | 3-10 Feet | 10-16 Feet | 16 <3 | 3-Point Attempts | |
| Past 3 Seasons | 32.4% | 13.3% | 14.3% | 19.4% | 20.6% |
| 2014-15 | 41.9% | 8.9% | 11.7% | 20.6% | 16.9% |
FG% By Distance* | |||||
| At the Rim | 3-10 Feet | 10-16 Feet | 16 <3 | 3-Point Attempts | |
| Past 3 Seasons | 60.1% | 31.7% | 40.6% | 42.0% | 31.1% |
| 2014-15 | 59.6% | 22.7% | 34.5% | 51.0% | 33.3% |
*Data provided by Basketball-Reference.com
As shown in the table above, in addition to attacking the rim at a higher rate, Westbrook has cut out some of his attempts from the 3-16 feet range — areas of the floor where he has historically been quite inefficient.
As well, there doesn’t seem to be any outliers in terms of his shooting percentages. He is, however, experiencing a slight improvement in his 3-point and long 2 proficiency — but neither is unsustainable or deviate too much from his career averages.
Conversely, his free throw rate is currently at 51.6 percent, significantly higher than the mid-to-high 30s he has experienced over the past three years. However, when digging deeper, he did earn a similar charity rate during the 2010-11 season, where he accumulated a FTr of 45.4 percent.
That season, Westbrook was attacking the rim at similar rate when compared to this year — attempting 36 percent of his shots at the rim.
Overall, his current output seems relatively sustainable, as he is simply operating in areas of the floor where he is most efficient. The real concern, though, with his current style of play, is if his body can hold up for the remainder of the season.
However, we are talking about a player — prior to his first knee injury suffered during the 2013 playoffs — who had not missed a game for the first five seasons of his NBA career. In fact, his iron-man streak dated all the way back to his high school days.
Once again, I emphasize — Russell Westbrook is not human.
You may love his passion/motor, but hate his snarl. Love his dunks, but hate his shot selection. Love his stop-and-pop J, but hate when he doesn’t pass to Durant.
As we presently stand, with the way he is playing right now, let’s stop lamenting on what he isn’t, and start appreciating Russell Westbrook for what he is.