After a rocky opening month to the 2021-22 NBA season and his Los Angeles Lakers tenure, Russell Westbrook has dramatically turned things around.

Through the Lakers first 17 games, Westbrook averaged 18.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists on abysmal .426/.297/.667 shooting splits. He oversaw multiple second-half collapses, made confounding decisions in crunch-time, and generally looked unsettled.

Over his last eight games, Westbrook is averaging 23.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. He's put up .504/.364/.724 splits and leads the Lakers starters in plus/minus, per StatMuse.

He's finishing at the rim better (including a few vintage slams) and moving more without the ball.

Crucially, he's scaled back his turnovers — from a league-leading 4.9 per game through the first 20 contests to 3.2 over in the past five.

The explanation for his turnaround, according to Anthony Davis? He's playing like Russell Westbrook.

“I think at the beginning of the year Russ was a little bit passive,” AD said after the Lakers roasted the Boston Celtics, 117-102, partially thanks to Westbrook's 24 points (9-of-16 FG) and 11 assists. “He was trying to get guys involved, pass the ball…We were just trying to tell him: ‘Be yourself. Don’t try to be anybody else. The more you’re aggressive, the more it’ll open up for everyone else.’ As of late, last seven, 10 games, he’s been very, very aggressive. And when he do that, it opens the floor for everyone else, as far as shooting. He’s just been on attack mode. You saw tonight, he went on a stretch in the third quarter where he just went downhill and finished and that’s what you gotta do. Before every game, I tell him ‘Be yourself.’ That’s why we brought him here — to be Russell Westbrook and not anybody else but that.”

(These comments verbatim echo Davis' words following the Lakers' first game of the season, in which Westbrook struggled mightily and was overly passive.

“We just want him to be himself, be aggressive,” Davis said at the time. “Be Russell Westbrook. Be the reason why we traded for you. Once he do that, everybody else will learn to play around him.”)

Westbrook's turnaround shouldn't come as a total surprise (though there will always be detractors). The Lakers have had key players in and out of the lineup and are still building cohesion. He's made a habit of picking up his play as the season wears along (see: this meme) —  a symptom of playing for four different franchises in four years.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4eyMtHUETPlGtzzbISEXc8?si=393318ab96e947e9

While his quality of basketball has changed, two aspects of Westbrook's season haven't wavered: his availability (he hasn't missed a game) and his motor.

“Pace and paint-attack. Obviously, the energy he plays with is always good for your group. But he's relentless at attacking the basket.” Vogel said when asked what's been the most reliable element of Westbrook's game. “If he's touching the paint and making great decisions when he gets there, he gives us a lot of offensive support.”

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You can see him loosening up. Amidst his 15-point third quarter against Boston — the Lakers strong suit now, another noticeable change — Westbrook was excitedly engaging the Staples Center crowd.

“That’s who I am,” he said. “What I bring to the table. That’s what my teammates need from me. I want to be able to share my engine, my spirit with the rest of the fans, the rest of the world, and have fun while doing it. This game is something I don’t take for granted. So while I’m playing it, I like to have fun while doing it.”

Or maybe: there's an even simpler explanation for Westbrook's uptick: