Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook emerging as leading man

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is emerging as the team leader and helping to turn things around.

The Oklahoma City Thunder got off on the wrong foot to begin the 2017-18 season. The Thunder were not meshing well, especially on the offensive end. Oklahoma City was struggling in close games, especially in late-game situations.

The Thunder lost 10 consecutive games decided by eight or fewer points to begin the season. Their late-game execution was not good, as they were trying to figure things out. With Paul George and Carmelo Anthony added to the team via trades, patience would be needed.

Patience, however, isn’t something many fans have. The Thunder were four games under .500 when December rolled around with a record of 8-12. The newly built Big 3 of Russell Westbrook, George and Anthony was not meshing well.

There was some hesitancy from all three players. They were trying hard to not step on each other’s toes and let the others work. It led to some very stagnant offense.

As a result, head coach Billy Donovan decided some changes needed to be made. Donovan made the tough decision of adjusting the offense, and Anthony was the player in the middle of it.

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Donovan wanted to see the Thunder move the ball on offense more. Anthony, who led the NBA in scoring during the 2012-13 season, excels in isolation, specifically in the mid-range. The mid-range is the least efficient place on the court offensively, as players receive fewer foul calls there and it is a more difficult shot than a dunk, but not as rewarding as a 3-point shot.

To the surprise of many, Anthony was open-minded to the change in offense. Anthony laughed when a reporter asked if he would come off the bench if it made sense for the team. He won’t be coming off the bench, but he is adjusting his playing style and accepting his new role in the offense.

Not only is Melo accepting of the change, he is an advocate for Westbrook taking over. Last season Westbrook set records for usage rate. Without much help offensively, Westbrook carried the load on a nightly basis, leading to an MVP award as he averaged a triple-double for the season.

For things to work with the newly assembled roster, Westbrook would have to dial back his usage rate — or so we thought. It actually seems that the old Westbrook is what was needed, as he has emerged as the leading man for the Thunder in recent games.

Oklahoma City is currently riding a six-game winning streak and has won 12 of 15 games in December. Westbrook has been the driving force in the turnaround.

In 15 games during the month, Westbrook is averaging 26.3 points, 10.7 assists, 9.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. During the six-game winning streak, he has been even more impressive, averaging 30 points, 10.3 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.

That kind of aggressiveness and performance is exactly what the Thunder needed to kickstart their season. Anthony told ESPN‘s Royce Young about how Westbrook playing his game is helping the team, as he and his teammates can play off of the dynamic Westbrook.

"“I think the fact that Russ is just playing — not trying to defer to anybody, to any one of us — just playing his game and letting us play off him … I think he’s much more effective by doing that rather than deferring to myself or Paul,” Anthony said. “We know what we bring to the game. We understand it. We accept it. And by that, he’s able to just play his game, relax and do what he does best. We need that. We need that Russ out there. Not the one who defers to us. Let us figure it out.”"

For teams to succeed that are put together in the nature that the Thunder were, someone has to step up as the alpha dog. After 20 games, Westbrook stepped up to the plate and decided that he would be the one to do it.

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Oklahoma City and its fans have to be happy that he did. The Thunder are finally beginning to look like people had thought they would now that Westbrook is pacing the team and leading them to victory.

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