NBA: The 10 Biggest Storylines Heading Into The 2016-17 Season

Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Bill Russell MVP Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with the Bill Russell MVP Trophy after beating the Golden State Warriors in game seven of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
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May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard
May 24, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard

Russell Westbrook Becomes The New Face Of Franchise

Of course now, with Durant’s decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder, this leaves the Russell Westbrook, the explosive, versatile point guard becoming the new face of the franchise. There was a great fear that Westbrook may have chosen to leave the Thunder with his long time partner in crime leaving, but Westbrook raised many eyebrows when he decided to extend his contract with Oklahoma City with a 3 year, 85 million dollars.

Now, becoming the beloved of the Oklahoma City fans, is Westbrook ready to be the alpha dog for the Thunder. There were many who criticized the play of Westbrook because many felt as though that he took shots away from Kevin Durant and often made bad decision making. No, taking the reigns as the leader of the team, along side new teammate Victor Oladipo, Westbrook may be primed for an explosive season.

It should be put into perspective that Westbrook went wild without Durant two seasons ago as he seemingly put up triple-doubles with ease. And while certain high scoring games could be attributed to volume instead of efficiency, Westbrook’s play was still stellar.

The offense will now certainly revolve around Westbrook while the others take a backseat and watch. It may also be bold to suggest that Westbrook could very well be close to averaging a triple-double for an entire season.