The Oklahoma City Thunder and their front office are rejoicing this off season, as two-way superstar Paul George re-signed with the franchise despite being heavily linked away from Chesapeake Energy Arena as a free agent.
Their plan payed off, as last summer they took a gamble on George, giving up young studs Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in the hopes George would re-sign after one year of playing alongside Russell Westbrook once he entered the free agent market.
Playing with Westbrook and iso-heavy Carmelo Anthony last season proved very difficult at times, as the Thunder were underwhelming during the regular season and got bounced out in the first round of the payoffs to the less-fancied Utah Jazz.
Due to their struggles, questions marks have continued to surround Westbrook, and his ability to coexist with others and be successful in doing so. The doubts around Westbrook’s were amplified when scoring machine Kevin Durant chose to leave Westbrook and the Thunder and opt for a more free-flowing, unselfish system in Golden State, a team that has just beaten them in seven games just months before.
Since then, Westbrook has not been able to shake the stigma surrounding him, and the disappointing regular season around undoubtedly talented players has not helped his cause.
Although his team has underachieved over the past couple of seasons, Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in the last two campaigns. His numbers are mind blowing, but Westbrook also fills up the stat sheet with the unfavourable categories as well. He’s consistently inefficient, turnover prone and his defensive rating has dropped since his new-found love for rebounds has left opposition guards with more space than they should have.
Recently, reddit user B-U-Y-F-E-B-R-E-Z-E highlighted yet another stat that outlines Westbrook’s eagerness to snare every rebound even if it means compromising on his defensive assignment.
Fewest contested shots per 36: Russell Westbrook (3.5).
For those that aren’t stat savvy, the statistic means per every 36 possessions, Westbrook ranks dead last in the entire league in contesting shots at an average of just 3.5 contests during that time.
It’s alarmingly for the Thunder that Westbrook is determined to leave his man and collect unnecessary boards at times, especially when they have dominant big man in Steven Adams inside the paint ready to snatch everything that comes his way.
Be that as it may, Westbrook has consistently been among the top players in the league for multiple seasons in a row. His heart and desire on the floor is unmatched in the association, and his drive to succeed continues to keep the Thunder amongst the top-tier franchises in the association.
The former UCLA guard will look to silence his critics this season, as the Thunder led by both Westbrook and George will look to make a run at an NBA championship once again.
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