Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook didn't defend his MVP title, but NBA general managers thought highly of him in their annual survey by selecting him as the league's most athletic player and the fastest player with the ball.

This is Westbrook's second consecutive year being voted the most athletic player. However, he dethroned John Wall's hold as the player with the best rush hour handles. Westbrook received 48 percent of the votes for most athletic, which was down from last year's 62 percent. He also received 50 percent of the votes for fastest player with the ball, which topped John Wall's 48 percent in 2017.

The Thunder will be happy to have such a highly touted talent lead their team for the 2018-19 season. Carmelo Anthony may have fled to Houston, but Paul George will play alongside Westbrook again this year. Almost everyone expected George to join the Los Angeles Lakers, but he was persuaded by the friend he found in Westbrook. George and Westbrook form one of the most lethal duos in the league.

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Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the second consecutive year last season. Nobody expected him to put up 25.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game after the addition of two new stars. Nevertheless, he has continued to become one of the NBA's most consistently productive players.

While their early playoff exit to the Utah Jazz was a surprise, people expect a lot from the Thunder this season even as the Western Conference gets even more challenging.