The Oklahoma City Thunder are clicking on all cylinders as of late thanks to the efforts of superstar point guard Russell Westbrook. Although Westbrook is regarded as arguably the most explosive offensive weapon in the league, that wasn't his focus coming into the 2017-18 NBA season.

Despite their early struggles, the Thunder have been one of the best defensive units in the league. While it may come as a bit of a surprise to see, Westbrook revealed that defense was one of the things he wanted to emphasize on this year, according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman:

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“I told myself before the year that I was going to be the best defender I could possibly be, ” Westbrook said. ” That's what I try to do every night, doing different things to help us win games.”

For a player as dynamic as Westbrook, hearing him start to put the focus on the defense is certainly bad news for the rest of the league. Needless to say, the attention to detail has already started to pay off for the reigning MVP.

Westbrook currently ranks second in the league in steals (2.09) only behind teammate and superstar forward Paul George (2.48). Furthermore, Oklahoma City has been one of the most disruptive and opportunistic defenses in the league. That said, it is clear Westbrook has gotten off to a great start in meeting his season goal.