Despite continuous eye-popping performances throughout this season, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook continues to be overlooked
The value of Russell Westbrook has never been murkier. “How’s that possible?” you might ask as you watch him pepper the playoffs with out-of-this world performances. The possible post-season MVP was at it again on Monday, flirting with a quadruple-double and controlling the game in a pivotal third quarter.
But a late no call overshadowed a career performance, burying Westbrook’s bonkers stat line of 27 points, 12 assists, six rebounds and seven steals deep into most post-game recaps. It’s a microcosm of the point guard’s career.
Westbrook’s regular heroics are undercut by petty critiques; many have called him “sloppy” or “out of control” while others rather take jabs at his bizarre fashion style instead of marvel at his performance on the court.
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Not to say we shouldn’t be talking about the blown call at the end of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors game. It certainly deserves the attention of fans and media. But it’s just so fitting that the night we should be talking about Westbrook the star, we’re hung up on the extra three inches his pivot foot skated across the floor.
Westbrook’s dominance over the past two seasons has helped him climb into a new class. These playoffs are no different. Westbrook’s average of 25 points, 10 assists, nearly seven rebounds and two steals per game is absurd.
That’s more points than Stephen Curry, more assists than LeBron James and almost as many rebounds as LaMarcus Aldridge. He’s been dominating, yet somehow finds the right time to defer Kevin Durant.
You saw a perfect example in the fourth quarter on Monday.
Yet, many continue to channel their inner Mark Cuban by downplaying his super staredome. Russ is regularly left out of MVP conversations and often forgotten when we are discussing the league’s elite. Who’s the best players? Curry…LeBron…..Durant… Kawhi Leonard has gotten really good. But Westbrook is regularly second fiddle. So much so SB Nation recently wrote about it.
MVP voters seem to be shifting towards Russell’s camp, but still underrated his masterpiece of a season. Take a look at the voting; Westbrook finished nearly 150 points out of third place.
The last time a player notched 18 triple doubles and finished out of the top three was 1981-1982, when Magic Johnson finished 8th. Oscar Robinson also did it a couple times-pretty good company. Maybe it’s because he still has a bull-in-a-china-shop reputation, a tag usually reserved for that one guy on the court who isn’t that good but plays super hard.
But Russ’s advanced stats tell us he wasn’t just aggressive, but incredibly efficient. Westbrook was second in the league in assists and eighth in points, the only player to crack the top eight in each category.
He was also the third most efficient player in the league (behind Curry and teammate Kevin Durant). He joined Leonard and Curry as the only players in the top 12 in both offensive and defensive win shares. But Russ notched more win shares than both Leonard and LeBron, two players he finished behind in MVP voting.
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He also ranked second in plus/ minus with the second best Value Over A Replacement Player- 8.3 games compared to LeBron James with 7.6. “But wait!” you exclaim. “Didn’t Westbrook turn the ball over a lot.”
True, but his turnover percentage isn’t as high as you might think and his assist to turnover ratio is solid. Not so bad for a “bull in a china shop.”
So let’s go back to that game one against the Warriors. In the final 24 minutes, Westbrook scored 24 points (on 13 shots) dished out four assists, grabbed five rebounds, tallied three steals and committed no turnovers.
While he handled point, the Thunder outscored the Warriors by 12 points in the second half. The Warriors were outscored by 12 points when Curry was in the game as their MVP was torched regularly when switched on to the Thunder’s point guard. On a night featuring three of the top five players in the game, Westbrook shined the brightest.
Now, the point isn’t to compare Westbrook to Curry. But if/ when Russ dominates another matchup against an elite player, we shouldn’t be surprised. Because Westbrook is elite. And yes Mark Cuban, he is “a star.”
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Let’s go out on a limb. When we look back on these playoffs, we’ll see them as the time where Russell Westbrook took off, leading the Thunder to an NBA Championship. With all the speculation about Durant leaving OKC for big money, it will be Westbrook who earns most valuable player.
Ironically, he will take out Leonard, Curry and James on his way to the title, the three guys who finished above him in MVP voting. And his value will never be clearer.