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Washington Wizards: How Russell Westbrook can save the Wizards’ season

By N.B. Lindberg

PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 20: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards reacts in the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on February 20, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - FEBRUARY 20: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards reacts in the second quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on February 20, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Russell Westbrook at his best was a force

From 2010-11 to 2019-20 Westbrook racked up nine All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA selections, three seasons averaging a triple-double, and one MVP award. That run covered Westbrook’s age 22 season to age 31 season and represents most players’ prime.

What made Westbrook such a dominant force over that stretch was his ability to get to the rim and finish, draw fouls, and rebound at an elite level for a guard. However, Westbrook was not a player without flaws.

Over his most productive stretch, Westbrook still averaged 4.3 turnovers a game and only converted 30.9-percent of his 3-point attempts. The overall package, for many years, made Westbrook out to be an elite player, even if he had a few warts.

Westbrook was able to offset his deficiencies by getting to the rim, where he took 34.8-percent of his shots and drawing shooting fouls, and then hitting his free throws. Lay-ups and free throws are two of the three most valuable shots, which made Westbrook’s overall offensive profile a plus.

Rampaging to the rim was the basis of Westbrook’s game but he was also one of the league’s best assist artists. Over the aforementioned ten-season span, Westbrook posted an assist percentage of 44.3-percent and three times led the league in the metric.

The final key to Westbrook’s prime was that he became an elite rebounder for a guard. Earlier in this run, Westbrook was simply an average rebounder, snagging 5.0 rebounds per game from 2010-11 to 2013-14.

However, in 2014-15 something clicked for Westbrook and he began rebounding at a rate that made him look more like a power forward and less like a point guard. From 2014-15 to 2019-20 Westbrook averaged 9.2 rebounds a game, a mark that would rank in the top-20 this season.

For a decade Westbrook’s combination of scoring, passing, and rebounding made him an elite do it all player that was able to single-handedly carry a team. This is the Westbrook that the Wizards were hoping they were acquiring but as this season has shown, they might have been three seasons too late.

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