Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook has never been under more scrutiny than now after he lost in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight year, this time bowing out to the Portland Trail Blazers in five games.
To make matters worse, Westbrook had a miserable series, shooting 36 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from 3-point range. In the Blazers' closeout win in Game 5 on Tuesday night, Westbrook shot just 11-of-31 from the field in spite of posting a triple-double.
TNT analyst and NBA Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley feels it might be time for Westbrook to change positions, which some have been calling for ever since he first came into the league:
“Well, he’s not going anywhere, I don’t think. They need to develop an identity,” said Barkley on TNT after Tuesday evening's game. “I think it’s time to move Russ to the [two guard spot], because I think he’s too aggressive offensively to play Schroder and Westbrook together all the time.”
“I think Russell Westbrook has to take a step back. He’s always driving at 100 miles per hour. He should drive at 55, sometimes raise it to 70. You don’t drive your car at 100 all the time and that’s the only weakness I see. He’s always going 100% speed all the time.”
But here's the problem: in order to effectively play the shooting guard position, you have to be able to, well, shoot. Unfortunately, Russell Westbrook has never done that consistently throughout his NBA career.
A lifetime 30.8 percent three-point shooter, Westbrook made just 29 percent of his long-distance attempts this season, marking the second straight year he shot under 30 percent from beyond the arc. As a matter of fact, Westbrook has shot under 30 percent from long range in four of the last five years, with his MVP season in 2016-17 in which he shot a career-high 34.8 percent from deep representing the only year he finished above that mark.
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