Is there a present NBA participant extra polarizing that Russell Westbrook?
His accolades are past reproach: 9 All NBA choices, 9 time All Star, two-time scoring chief, three time help chief, league MVP (even when it was somewhat contentious), and 4 seasons averaging a triple-double.
At his peak, Westbrook was a phenomenon; an asteroid infused with the DNA of Sonic the Hedgehog after which shot out of a cannon. He was, subsequent to LeBron James, merely probably the most overwhelming bodily pressure within the sport.
Yet is there a more maligned player in league?
Despite his MVP win, detractors said he couldn’t lead a successful team without Kevin Durant. In a single season in Houston, one where he earned All-NBA honors, the talk was of how the club had to move center Clint Capela – thus compromising their defense – to accommodate Russ’s lack of shooting. He was the good-stats-bad-team poster boy with the Wizards, a team where literally nobody has been able to create a winning culture in nearly half a century. He was horridly miscast as the third wheel in a Lakers big three yet copped all of the flak.
To be sure, Westbrook is not the easiest player to build around, in particular at age 36 and 17 seasons into his storied career. The jump shot that has earned him the name ‘Westbrick’ (interestingly, not listed on Basketball Reference) could be very actual. As his athleticism has waned, he can now not commandeer an offense, and he does not have the velocity to compensate when his gamble heavy defensive model goes awry.
All the ethos of basketball has shifted to virtually particularly spotlight Russ’s flaws. But Westbrook is having fun with his finest season in years. Why? The Jokic Impact.
Westbrook isn’t the primary and will definitely not be the final participant to look higher subsequent to the most effective participant on the planet, however the distinction in Westbrook’s play this season towards his previous 4 – overlaying each Los Angeles golf equipment – is stark.
In a way, Westbrook and Nikola Jokic are birds of a feather. They’re each dynamic passers with a present for getting individuals open. The best way they do this, although, is wildly totally different. Jokic is a savant who sees angles that no one else sees. He flings passes to teammates who don’t even understand they’re open. Westbrook, against this, applies a ton of pressure upon the rim, drawing defenses and trusts an intuition for realizing the place his shooters are.
All the time a superb cutter, Westbrook is delighting in having Jokic discover him for straightforward appears, whereas Jokic feasts on the scrambled rotations that Russ’s drives create.
Westbrook didn’t begin the season notably effectively. It ought to be famous that he performed a whole lot of these early video games with bench heavy models. As acknowledged earlier, Russ can now not be an offense unto himself and it’s even tougher to raise a few of these terrible Nuggets reserves. But with the starters he is a person reborn. Have a look at the distinction in his numbers as a starter towards coming off the bench.
| Pts | Reb | Ass | St | FG% | |
| Starter (21 video games) | 15.1 | 6.7 | 7.6 | 1.9 | 51.4% |
| Reserve (19) | 11.4 | 3.7 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 40.1% |
Denver has a 14-5 report with Westbrook as a starter so it’s no shock that Coach Michael Malone has caught with Westbrook in his beginning 5 whilst Aaron Gordon has returned from harm.
He additionally speeds the Nuggets up significantly. Whereas threes are vital, the most effective shot in basketball continues to be an try on the hoop. Westbrook’s breakneck model will get the Nuggets transferring in ways in which they historically haven’t, opening up appears on the rim earlier than defenses are set. With Westbrook on the ground, Denver ranks third in tempo within the NBA. With out him that determine drops to twenty third.
Most significantly, Westbrook is impacting successful, belying his late profession fame. Regardless of his gradual begin, the Nuggets are +2.1 factors per 100 possessions with him on the ground and -4.7 when he sits.
Followers and analysts spent the primary half of Russell Westbrook’s profession marveling at what he may do. The second half has been spent lamenting what he couldn’t. Now, as he enters the twilight of a surefire Corridor of Fame profession, it’s beautiful to see the NBA world as soon as once more appreciating Westbrook for what he’s, moderately than what he isn’t.
