Russell Westbrook is having an insanely good season, which the Oklahoma City Thunder have needed, but he’s not the NBA MVP
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Russell Westbrook isn’t even having his best statistical season of his career. He’s not as efficient as year’s past, and has already missed a quarter of the NBA season. He’s having a great season, but there’s no way he’s the NBA MVP.
Westbrook is having a superb season, don’t get me wrong, but his year is getting over magnified due to the loss of Kevin Durant.
Let’s not mistake that for actual MVP worth. While we’re at it, Westbrook isn’t even the best MVP candidate, if we’re basing the award on merely the most important players to their team, on his own squad. The last time I checked, the Thunder were still only six games over .500 and in the eighth seed in the playoffs.
Most of their troubles this season have been due to Kevin Durant’s absence from the Thunder’s lineup, not Westbrook’s. But that’s another conversation for another day.
Back to Westbrook.
Statistically speaking, Westbrook is actually having a down season when it comes to efficiency. He’s shooting a lower overall field goal percentage this season and a much lower three-point percentage than in years past. Although, it should also be noted that Westbrook’s usage percentage is the highest that it’s ever been in his seven year career, at 36.9 percent.
| Season | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-09 | 32.5 | .398 | .271 | .415 | .815 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 15.3 |
| 2009-10 | 34.3 | .418 | .221 | .438 | .780 | 4.9 | 8.0 | 1.3 | 16.1 |
| 2010-11 ★ | 34.7 | .442 | .330 | .451 | .842 | 4.6 | 8.2 | 1.9 | 21.9 |
| 2011-12 ★ | 35.3 | .457 | .316 | .482 | .823 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 23.6 |
| 2012-13 ★ | 34.9 | .438 | .323 | .466 | .800 | 5.2 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 23.2 |
| 2013-14 | 30.7 | .437 | .318 | .482 | .826 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 1.9 | 21.8 |
| 2014-15 ★ | 33.0 | .432 | .277 | .464 | .841 | 6.8 | 8.1 | 2.0 | 26.5 |
| Career | 33.8 | .433 | .301 | .455 | .818 | 5.1 | 7.0 | 1.7 | 20.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/1/2015.
Westbrook’s total shot percentage is also down from last season, from 54 percent down to 53 percent. His effective field goal percentage is down, too, from 48 percent to 46 percent from last season to this season. In fairness, though, Westbrook’s player efficiency rating has spiked from 24.7 last season to 29.4 this season. That’s huge.
Here is a list of the previous 10 NBA MVP award winners and their respective PERs:
- (2013-14) Kevin Durant — 29.8
- (2012-13) LeBron James — 31.6
- (2011-12) LeBron James — 30.7
- (2010-11) Derrick Rose — 23.5
- (2009-10) LeBron James — 31.1
- (2008-09) LeBron James — 31.7
- (2007-08) Kobe Bryant — 24.2
- (2006-07) Dirk Nowitzki — 27.6
- (2005-06) Steve Nash — 23.3
- (2004-05) Steve Nash — 22.0
For the record, Westbrook’s PER of 29.4 is second in the NBA. Anthony Davis‘ 31.2 is the best in the league. His Player Impact Estimation is fifth best in the NBA at 18.7 percent. Westbrook is also averaging a career-high in rebounds per game (6.8) and his second best assist (8.1) season of his career.
Those stats alone are the only argument Russell Westbrook supporters have of making the case that he is in fact the MVP of the league right now. What all that says, however, is that he should be a candidate, not necessarily that he should win the award.
Although, does merely asserting yourself more simply because the star player of your team is injured translate to being the MVP of the league?
I’m not sure.
In reality, yes, Russell Westbrook is doing more for the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, mostly because he has to, but he’s not necessarily doing it at a particularly high efficiency rate (at least when it comes to shooting) and is not bringing team success as frequent as it would be coming if another player on their roster was healthy.
Westbrook is having a great season, both on paper and in the highlight room, but it’s completely false to say that he is the MVP of the league.
The definition of MVP is the most valuable player to a specific team, obviously, but we should also consider how it has been defined by the MVP voters in the NBA. A prototypical MVP is usually the best player on the best team, let’s not kid ourselves.
Does Westbrook fall under that criteria? No.
“But he’s been so good as of late, and it’s not how you start it’s how you finish”
Sure, it’s true that Westbrook has been insanely good in the month of February, averaging 31 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists per game on 45 percent shooting from the field. The only problem with playing exceptionally good for one month doesn’t rationalize an MVP winner, it means you win Player of the Month honors.
Russell Westbrook, ladies and gentlemen, is not the NBA MVP.
Next: Dwyane Wade's Struggles This Season Go Beyond Injuries