2. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City
Counting Stats: 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds
PER: 27.64
WS: 14.0
VORP: 8.3
He rebounds like a big man, stretches the floor like a wing and even provides glimpses defensively that resembles a forward. What can Russell Westbrook not do? Currently, you’d be hard-pressed to find a player in the NBA, point guard in particular, that plays as hard as Westbrook does. In an NBA that’s migrating towards position-less basketball, Westbrook is No. 1 in this category.
On the court, Westbrook utilizes all of his 6-foot-3 stature to blow past opposing defenders seamlessly. It’s a reason why he’s averaged at least 20 points per game in each of his past six seasons. In 2016, Westbrook was top-five in every major statistical category among point guards including third in scoring (23.5 points per game), first in rebounding (7.8), second in assists (10.4), fifth in steals (2.04) and first in double-doubles (54).
In addition, Westbrook led the league in triple-doubles (his second consecutive season doing so) with 18.
Now that his sidekick Kevin Durant has fled for Golden State, a large majority of the pressure is left on Westbrook’s shoulders. It’s worth mentioning but no other point guard in the league was used more offensively than Westbrook last season, possessing a 33.6 usage rate. Oklahoma City tried to replace the loss of Durant by trading away shot-blocking power forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando in exchange for swingman Victory Oladipo.
That in itself proves to be a plus offensively, although the Thunder need more than that if they still want to compete in the one-sided Western Conference. Centers Steven Adams and Enes Kanter are reputable rim protectors, but can they rise up as low-post scorers?
Next: No. 1