Oklahoma City Thunder: The Good, Bad Of Russell Westbrook

There is not a more polarizing figure in basketball than Russell Westbrook. One minute he is throwing down a dunk no way else in the league could duplicate and the next he is firing up an ill-advised pull up 3-pointer.

It is craziness on the court at all times.

Sometimes it is great for the Oklahoma City Thunder and sometimes it is just plain painful. But he is so damn good that most smart people just ride the roller coaster that is Russell Westbrook.

Here are a few numbers that show the good and bad side of the scintillating Westbrook.

Good: He is the best rebounding guard in the league.

Apr 19, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts after a play against the Memphis Grizzlies during the fourth quarter in game one during the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Throughout each Thunder game there is always a Westbrook rebound that leaves you in awe, forcing you to utilize your DVR and watch the 6-foot-3 point guard sky over everyone and bring down a rebound with authority. It is one of my favorite spectacles in basketball.

Westbrook has a rebounding rate of 10.5, according to ESPN, the highest among NBA point guards. Lance Stephenson is the only guard to have a higher rebound rate (11.4) and average more than 30 minutes per contest (We all know Stephenson steals rebounds).

One of Westbrook’s many talents is grabbing rebounds and igniting the break, which is key to the Thunder’s offense and defense.

Bad: He is still not a good jump shooter.

He shot 26.3 percent on jump shots last season, according to NBA.com. That really is not good.

I am not sure how that compares to the rest of the league, but the general consensus around the league is that Ricky Rubio is a horrific jump shooter and according to NBA.com he shot the same percent as Westbrook last season.

His jump shot is certainly something he needs to continue to improve.

Good: You know what you should be good at if you are not a good jump shooter? Finishing at the rim and getting fouled.

May 27, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) dunks against the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter of game four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports /

Westbrook is solid at both.

He shot 55 percent on shots less than five feet last year. His explosiveness allows him to get to the rim easily at any point of a game. He gets there so easily that you would think he would finish even better at the rim, but as I descried in the beginning, Westbrook can be a tad out of control at times because of just how explosive he is.

When he gets to the basket, there is a good chance he is scoring or getting fouled. Throughout his career, he has free throw rate (number of free throws per field goal attempts) of .382. We all know that know one gets to the line easier more often than Kevin Durant and his free throw rate is just higher at .438.

While Westbrook may not beat teams every night with his jump shot. He will finish at the rim and get to the line.

Bad (kinda): Durant doesn’t get used as much.

Durant is the second best player in the world, if not the best. There is always the constant debate that Westbrook takes away from Durant at certain points throughout a game.

There is no denying that.

Durant has a usage of 35.6 when Westbrook is not on the floor with him, according to NBAwowy.com. Durant shoots more efficiently with Westbrook on the bench (63.5 true shooting percentage compared to 60.1 percent.)

His scoring index is 1.281 when Westbrook is off the floor compared to .842 when they share the floor. In 2013, only two players had a scoring index more than .88 (Durant and LeBron James). That is how good Durant is offensively when he is not playing with Westbrook.

However, as we all know, basketball is a team game and the Thunder are better when the two All-NBA players are on the floor together.

First off, it is obvious to anyone that watches the Thunder that they can’t win a NBA title without Westbrook. When he got hurt in the 2013 playoffs, Durant could not carry all the baggage without his sidekick.

And as a team, they are simply better when they are on the floor together. They score more points per possessions (1.129 compared to 1.107). There is more ball movement (57.5 of field goals are assisted when they are both on the floor compared to 53.1 percent with just Durant.) The Thunder get many more layups because of how good Durant and Westbrook are, but also because defenses are so locked in on them, players have a better chance to get an easy bucket.

With both on the floor, 21 percent of the Thunder’s field goals are layups while 16.8 percent are when Durant is on without Westbrook, according to NBAwowy.com.

There is still room for Westbrook to grow. Maybe he should defer to Durant at times. But again, it all goes back to Westbrook being a total wildcard at times. It can drive people crazy (I am a victim), but you have to remember he is going to win the Thunder more games than he loses them.

#LETWESTBROOKBEWESTBROOK

Be sure to check out NBAwowy.com for really good on-off stats.

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