With numbers that are now comparatively evoking the name “Wilt”, and raw athleticism never before seen by a player who stands 6’3″, Russell Westbrook has gone full supernova.
The incandescent point guard is now averaging a triple-double: 30.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 11.2 assists per game, nearly a quarter of the way through the season. Oscar Robertson is the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double this late into a season. And again— 31 points a game! These aren’t cheap Jason Kidd triple-doubles either.
Sidebar: No shade to J Kidd, but still.
Westbrook was always an ultra-aggressive player. But with Kevin Durant now in The Bay Area, the chains are off. The somehow nickname-less Westbrook is seeing the spike in production many predicted, doing things that would cause any statistician’s computer to spontaneously combust. Though at the risk of sounding like a “hater” — wherein this day, anytime you don’t automatically succumb to the majority, this label is slapped on you like a bumper sticker — or at the very least a Buzz Killington, what we’re witnessing from Russell Westbrook will only harm himself and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the long run.
Back around the time when Magic Johnson fashionably and erroneously ripped into Russ during the 2012 NBA Finals, he was staunchly defended at HHSR— he was compared to Kobe here seemingly before anywhere else. So know this isn’t coming from a place of disdain for the man, his game or his motives. In fact, it would hardly make sense to advocate he try less hard at basketball— that isn’t the purpose here either. But Westbrook’s Atlas act has unintended consequences that can easily destroy OKC’s season. We saw The Russell Westbrook Savage Tour preview two years ago when Durant was out; Russ then broke his hand and missed 14 games. Prior to that, he underwent three surgeries on his right knee in an eight month span in 2013.
In short, Russ tearing it up to this degree while carrying this type of burden cannot be good for his health. Currently, his 40.7 usage rate would be highest single-season rate in NBA history, surpassing Kobe Bryant in 2005-06 and his own mark from 2014-15. But unlike Kobe at that time, or say LeBron James — also known for carrying a disproportionate load of virtually every team he’s ever been on — Westbrook has some precedent for injury. How many explosive jumps will he have in those knees? (Derrick Rose will tell you they’re not all guaranteed.) How many hip-checks from seven footers and falls to the hardwood can he absorb? Much like his stats, these numbers will also inflate.
If he’s fortunate enough to keep a clean bill of health, the thought of Westbrook running out of steam in, or possibly before the playoffs, should be concerning for Thunder nation. In contrast to the injuries, there isn’t really a history of Russ ever hitting a wall. But again, he’s never carried this level of responsibility before either. Moreover, the mental and emotional fatigue of finally being THE GUY will wear on him, whether he cares to admit it or not. This may sound irrelevant, but consider Westbrook’s increasingly combative attitude towards the media over the years, which hasn’t gone unnoticed. The spotlight he seemingly craved will only be magnified as he assumes the role of unquestioned team leader. Without KD there to siphon off attention and serve as a buffer, Russ will need to cope with this for a full 82 games plus playoffs, assuming even more blame after each loss.
Sidebar: Because with a 40.7 usage rate, who else could you blame?
Perhaps the most underappreciated drawback from Westbrook’s brilliance is he’s forcing his team to become far too reliant on him. Durant’s and Serge Ibaka’s departure cleared the way for the arrival of Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, while Steven Adams was expected to fully blossom into an elite center. Yet through 19 games, OKC has had to work to stay above .500, and nobody else on the team is averaging 18 points, eight rebounds or three assists. As we’ve seen with LeBron in his earlier Cleveland days, a team cannot function properly on a championship level without self-sufficient teammates. To this day even, the Cavs look like a different bunch without James.
But when in the lineup, James and the Cavaliers have been sublime. Durant and his new teammates are thriving. Russell Westbrook takes the court every night with the singular focus of trying to prove to the world he’s every bit the player Durant and LeBron are. Westbrook’s 2016-17 campaign is confirmation he should be in everyone’s top five and maybe even top one in MVP voting. Only it may come at the expense of a shortened playoff run, or worse, a shortened season.
Maybe he’s less supernova and more shooting star. For fans, it’ll sure be fun to find out which one he is.