After Kevin Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors last year, Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double en route to his first Most Valuable Player award. Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder have surrounded him with Paul George and Carmelo Anthony after an extremely successful offseason by general manager Sam Presti.
As it will take time for the big three to come together, the Thunder have started 1-1 to begin the 2017-18 NBA season following the 96-87 loss to the Utah Jazz. After the game, Westbrook was asked if the game is different playing with two All-Stars according to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman:
Russell Westbrook says the game isn’t different this season despite adding Carmelo Anthony, Paul George: pic.twitter.com/bQCPQZZ7mT
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) October 22, 2017
While it is an extremely small sample size, it appears Westbrook is trying to get George and Anthony comfortable. In two games, the six-time All-Star is averaging just 11.5 shot attempts per game en route to 13.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 12.5 assists. As for his new teammates, they are averaging a combined 44.0 shot attempts.
As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see if Westbrook continues to solely focus on being the team's distributor. In order for the Thunder to be competitive in the Western Conference, there will need to be an emphasis on ball movement and taking the best shot possible.
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