Russell Westbrook

Also 5 times the defender of Harden..

In my eyes it’s always been Russ that made them go. KD is the BEST player on the team but Russ is the Heart and motor. They go as he goes. He takes a lot of shots but he also does EVERYTHING else. I feel like he earns those shots he takes by hitting the boards, getting other guys open, being a pest on defense, etc. I have no idea how to find the link, but it was shown on ESPN last season that they win a big majority of their games when he takes more shots than KD, but that percentage is cut in half when KD takes more shots than Russ.

By no way am I saying he’s the better player, I just think he controls the team.

I don’t think anyone is all that mad when Westbrook is being efficient with his shots (tonight was 10-18, great) and takes more than Durant. It’s when he is shooting 18+ shots and only making 35-40% of them while Durant is being his usual self that people get angry. Like when they lost to the Warriors earlier in the year, Westbrook went 3-16 while Durant went 10-17 and the Thunder lost by five. Or when they lost to the Wizards, Westbrook went 4-17 while Durant went 9-19 and the Thunder lost by two.

I agree that when Westbrook does well, the Thunder tend to do better but that all goes down the drain when Westbrook decides to do hero ball and the shots don’t fall. I will say that he has done that a lot less this year though and think it’s a big reason for why the Thunder are doing so well. He has also become a bit more of a facilitator which is also a great sign for the team as they try to make it back to the Finals. When all is said and done, think the Thunder made the right decision in trading away Harden and keeping Westbrook.

yeah Russell is a top2 player at PG for sure in my eyes..and he can be NBA’s top3 one day..still 3years from his prime I believe

and I really like this Thunder legacy to be but also in would be interesting to see..

what KD would be when he would NEED to shoot 22-25 shots, would he still be shy of it or would he put prime-Kobe numbers?

Would Westbrook be the main guy who would go with Durant for scoring title, would it make his team only playoff contender or would he make himself an MVP contender?