2014 NBA Top 20: #10 Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City (Getty Images)

Russell Westbrook, till last year, had never experienced an injury of any sorts to curtail his ascent to becoming an NBA perennial. That is taking into account his time at UCLA, high school and near veteran status tenure in the NBA – yes, nothing hindered his progress on the doctor’s table.

Having said that, Westbrook enjoyed one of his best years as a pure scoring point guard in 2012-13 for the Oklahoma City Thunder. If not for Chris Paul or Tony Parker, Westbrook could easily be categorised as the best point guard in the league for his influence on both offence and defence.

In 2012-13, Oklahoma City Thunder needed Westbrook to function as it became apparently clear that Kevin Durant could not single-handedly carry the team on his shoulders. The West was improving and Westbrook needed to team up with KD in order to certify Thunder’s dominance in the Conference.

As Westbrook hurt his leg, Thunder collapsed in the playoffs and was knocked out unceremoniously by the Memphis Grizzlies. Now the point guard is marking his return to the game, and the Thunder are hoping that he could guide them back to the Finals – a repeat of what happened in 2012.

In a city with just one professional franchise that is steadily growing to be the best in the NBA, it is success to be in the Finals for the Thunder, and anything else is considered to be a failure.

Westbrook isn’t just integral to the team solely because he is a phenomenon in the scoring department. He creates many of his plays himself, often driving in solo or attempting an early jump shot from the perimeter.

Out of all players in the Thunder, Westbrook had one of the least field goal percentages assisted. According to HoopData.com, Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka scored nearly 80% of their points thanks to an assist elsewhere but Westbrook averaged below a 40%.

Out of all his attributes, Westbrook isn’t just your everyday point guard who scores and defends. Darnell Mayberry, who covers the Thunder for The Oklahoman writes, “Westbrook’s style is not always pretty, but most of the time it’s effective. He competes like few other point guards in this league.”

His pace is tantalizing for those marking him while his agility is second to none. Now, add his freakish build, and it comes as no surprise why he averaged 23.2 PPG, 7.4 APG and 5.2 RPG in 2012-13 (espn.com).

Teams were worried as to whether they shun Westbrook out in the points column or hinder his assisting capability. Either way, there were games when the Thunder saw Russell Westbrook sail the ship single-handedly. More than 30 points a game, nearly 10 assists and rebounds with zero turnovers – Westbrook did it all in 2012-13.

Going into 2012-13, Westbrook was expected to make an impact in his team. Showcasing his talent in the 2012 NBA Finals, the point guard was rated highly going into the new season. And he didn’t disappoint.

James Harden was traded to Houston Rockets and in came Kevin Martin. This added further onus on Westbrook to shoot more. His haters mocked his “inability to pass” but Westbrook kept going. Not only did he nearly average 8 passes a game which is one of the highest in the NBA, he matched that up with 5 rebounds a game – a stat not many point guards can be proud of.

Letting go off Harden was a tough decision for the Thunder management, but a crucial aspect of it was learning that Durant and Westbrook could make do without the man presently in Houston. A championship team and formula still exists in Oklahoma City, and Westbrook is as pivotal to it as Kevin Durant or Scott Brooks are.

2012-13 was a smooth sailing by general means for the UCLA product. In games the Thunder lost, Westbrook showed up and set the game on fire including the Staples Center loss to the Lakers where he put up 20+ points and 8 assists while not any of his teammates matched his energy or charisma on the court.

A .800% in the free throw zone also indicated his consistency throughout the season with him blistering around nearly 45% from the field accompanied by his .32 beyond the arc. Westbrook also had outbursts when he outscored Kevin Durant and others on the court. An example was against the Timberwolves in March as the Thunder slipped away 127-111 with the primo point guard scoring as many as 37 points with nearly 60% from the field. The same happened against Phoenix in November and in the pulsating loss to Denver at the Pepsi Center.

Going into the playoffs, the Thunder were heavy favourites to march into the NBA Finals. However, calamity in the form of Russell Westbrook’s injury happened and the tide switched sides.

The 2013 NBA playoffs illustrated an exposed weakness of the Thunder – their inconsistency in the Field Goal percentage. Except Durant, almost every other player expected to score failed miserably, including the likes of Ibaka and Kevin Martin. Meanwhile, Westbrook was out injured – his first such in years as aforementioned.

What is ahead for Westbrook going into 2014? The answer is simple. Get healthy and come back storming the league with a rejuvenated core of Thunder players! The NBA draft wasn’t the most lucrative for the Thunder this time around but with a young but energetic mindset, Scott Brooks’ team will be keyed in as one of the preseason favourites.

For Westbrook, the story will revolve around if he can continue to gel in a team consisting of the best pure scorer in the NBA and the second best talent. Will he pass the ball more and play the role of the creator instead of the forceful shooter he has become over the years? Or will he continue to rack up 15-20 points per night and assist for 4-7 a game? Only time will tell.

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