Washington Wizards: Russell Westbrook is an enigma
Russell Westbrook is no longer a star on offense
So is Westbrook a superstar-level contributor on offense at this stage in his career? Absolutely not, and every advanced metric bears this out. Westbrook ranks 323rd in offensive win shares this season, 115th out of 250 qualified players in FiveThirtyEight’s metric, and 46th in offensive box plus-minus which is aided by his high usage rate.
The final nail in the coffin is that the Washington Wizards average 111.5 points per 100 possessions with Westbrook on the court and 112.3 points with him on the bench. Add it all up and he no longer helps his team score much more than an average player. However, Westbrook is an elite rebounder which has to count for something, well sort of.
Russell Westbrook is a rebounding machine
Rebounds are a good thing. On defense, it represents the end of your opponent’s offensive possession, which is good. On offense, it means your team gets another offensive possession, which is great!
More from Washington Wizards
- Washington Wizards draft odds: What are their chances at the #1 pick?
- Wizards: 5 Teams that should trade for Bradley Beal this summer
- Ranking the top 18 shooters available on NBA trade market
- Trade Grades: Rui Hachimura traded to the Lakers
- NBA Trades: 5 under-the-radar trade targets
Not all rebounds are created equal, with offensive boards being more valuable than their defensive brethren. Westbrook’s offensive rebounding percentage of 5 percent ranks 53rd in the league and is the third-highest for a player listed as a point guard behind Ben Simmons and Bruce Brown. This is awesome! However, it’s only an elite mark when you factor in his position, but it is still an area where he provides a ton of value, especially relative to his peers.
When it comes to defensive rebounds Westbrook is one of the best in business. His 28.8 percent defensive rebounding mark ranks 8th in the league and is an elite mark no matter the position. While not all rebounds are created equal, not all defensive rebounds are created equal either.
The best type of defensive rebound is a contested defensive rebound. The vast majority of defensive rebounds will land in the defense’s hands and who claims these uncontested rebounds doesn’t really matter. Westbrook is the king of uncontested rebounds.
Of the 11.6 rebounds a game he averages, only 2.9 are classified as contested which gives him a contested rebound rate of 24.7 percent. Westbrook’s contested rebound percentage sticks out like a sore thumb when compared to the top rebounders in the league.
Of all the players in the top-eight of defensive rebounding rate, Westbrook’s contested rebound rate is the lowest, with the next lowest being Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 27.7 percent mark (which warrants its own article), followed by Rudy Gobert at 36.7 percent on up to Enes Kanter’s 48.4 percent mark.
Elite rebounders tend to grab the tough contested rebounds in a way that Westbrook simply doesn’t. Grabbing an uncontested rebound shows up the same in the boxscore as a contested one, but they aren’t at all similar in value. One rebound is a formality and the other gives your team an edge.