After an 0-4 start to the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder found ways to bounce back even with superstar Russell Westbrook missing a huge chunk of games. It turns out that the team mindset has been different as OKC is making it a point to reduce Westbrook's workload.

ESPN's Royce Young wrote on how the Thunder has found success sans Westbrook, including the team's decision to ease their point guard's offensive usage.

There has been an organizational adjustment to play faster — quicker movement, quicker passes, quicker decisions — in an effort to reduce the ball sticking, with an isolation queued up as a last resort. It's also an intentional way to reduce the workload on Westbrook to fuel the offense on his own.

It only works, however, if Westbrook is on board. According to many inside the team, Westbrook's buy-in, to this point, has been total and comprehensive. So much so that it has not necessarily been described as surprising but more affirming and uplifting.

While Westbrook has set the standards in terms of all-around play and stat-sheet stuffing, many people believe that his style of game is not conducive to championship success. True enough, the Thunder haven't gotten past the first round of the playoffs for the past two years in which Westbrook historically registered triple-double averages.

Furthermore, Westbrook's tendency to dominate the ball has left players like Victor Oladipo and Carmelo Anthony to just wait in the corner in case their All-Star point guard is unsuccessful on his isolation play.

Westbrook is not entirely selfish, though. After all, he has been averaging double-digit assists per game in the past couple of years. However, his staggering usage rate means that his teammates sometimes are not given more opportunities to make plays and create shots for themselves. With the ball staying more in Westbrook's hands, the Thunder offense has devolved into predictability in the past.

Still, it's welcoming to know that Russell Westbrook is on board with this pass-first, share-the-ball system. With playmakers Dennis Schroder and Paul George on the team, there's no reason why the former MVP should do everything on his own.