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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 Will Newton/Getty Images) /

What went wrong for Russell Westbrook this season with the Washington Wizards

Russell Westbrook’s strengths and weaknesses are well documented. When he was at his peak his strengths were so overpowering that his glaring weaknesses as a player simply did not matter.

However, some of the traits that made Westbrook elite in the past have disappeared and he hasn’t been able to reel in his weaknesses to off-set them. Last season, Westbrook took 41.5-percent of his attempts around the rim, the second-highest rate of his career and the most since he was a rookie back in 2008-09.

Through 20 games with the Wizards, Westbrook has seen his rate of shots at the rim plummet to a career-low of 15.7-percent. His unwillingness or inability to attack the rim has had the knock-on effect of dropping his free throw attempt to a career-low of 29.1-percent.

Remember, what made Westbrook an effective scorer was his ability to get to the rim and then the free throw line and that has been largely absent this season. Declines in these areas, as a player ages, are completely normal and largely expected but the players who have productive careers late into their 30s are able to adjust their game to accommodate.

The two areas that have plagued Westbrook throughout his career have been his lack of a 3-point shot and turnovers. Unfortunately, both of those areas remain serious weaknesses.

On the season, Westbrook leads the league in turnovers per game by a wide margin at 5.1. The difference between Westbrook at one and Trae Young at two is the same as the gap between Young and Devin Booker in eighth place.

The most obvious bugaboo throughout Westbrook’s career has been his horrendous 3-point shooting. He is a career 30.4-percent 3-point shooter and this season he has posted a 29.1-percent mark.

So how is it that a player who is averaging 19.3 points, 9.7 assists, and 9.5 rebounds per game such an abject disappointment? Every single advanced metric paint Westbrook as a complete and utter negative when he’s on the court.

His per 100 possessions offensive rating is 96 when the league average is 111.8 and his defensive rating is 114 which means his net-rating this season is at -18 points per 100 possessions. Adding fuel to the fire, Westbrook’s win shares, a metric designed to determine how many wins a player has added to his team, is -0.3.

Fivethrityeight’s wins above replacement metric, similar to win shares, has Westbrook at -1.5 wins and sees him, on a rate basis, as the second-worst player in the league for players who have played at least 435 minutes. The numbers don’t lie, Westbrook has been one of the worst players in the league.

It wasn’t long ago that Westbrook was one of the greatest players in the league. Now, he is a shell of his former self, but can he right the ship and get closer to the player he once was?

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