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Russell Westbrook has looked like his world-destroying self for the last few months. His sheer dominance has propelled his previously-spiraling Washington Wizards out of the Cade Cunningham sweepstakes and squarely into the playoff picture.
If you've watched even just five minutes of a Wizards game, you'll see at least a few hyper-aggressive plays that are just #signature Westbrook. Whether it's snagging a rebound with ferocity, or attacking a lumbering center in the paint, he's always coming out angry. That's what his fans have loved about him all these years.
The Wizards star's former teammate turned ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins noticed that fire in Westbrook after just one week as a player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Perk had seen it before, from his original MVP teammate – Kevin Garnett. The big man dished on those early encounters with Westbrook:
“It was a week in [with OKC], and KG called me and was like, ‘What's up, big fella? How you feeling man? What [are] them youngins like?'” Perkins said. “I just remember telling him, I was like, ‘Man, Russell Westbrook is just a smaller version of you as far as his mentality,” Perkins shared on Wizards Pregame Live.
“You have those certain guys where you just walk into an arena and you have that comfort of knowing that we're gonna win this game or we're gonna have a chance of winning this game because of him,” Perkins said.”[Westbrook] gave us swagger. They have that old saying where, ‘If you see him in a fight with a bear, to help the bear.' I changed it up with him where I was like, ‘Pour the honey on Russ because after he finish spanking up on that bear he's gonna want other bears to come so he can whoop them too.'
It's hard to dispute the comparison from Perkins. Just like Garnett, Westbrook does seem like the kind of guy who wouldn't back down from a bear fight. They may play different positions, but the intensity both stars bring every night is unquestioned. Wizards fans can only hope Westbrook can keep that same intensity as they jockey for playoff positioning in the finals weeks of the NBA season.
