Tuesday NBA Roundup: Russell Westbrook's Greatness Can't Be Found in Stats Alone
LeBron James may be "The King," but Russell Westbrook is the undisputed master of triple-doubles.
The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar emerged with his 15th trip-dub of the 2016-17 campaign Tuesday, exploding for 29 points, 17 rebounds and 11 assists during a 106-94 victory over the Miami Heat. This one was never in doubt, since he entered halftime just two rebounds shy of the statistical feat.
As we've seen so many times this year, Westbrook was nothing short of spectacular in myriad facets of the game. He routinely skied above everyone, fighting through traffic for contested boards. He exploded to the rim in transition, changing speeds to keep the defense off balance before finishing the play. And even while moving at hyperspeed, he was able to see passing lanes no one else could even imagine.
CBSSports.com's James Herbert explained this perfectly, hinting at how Westbrook's ability to play with a unique, out-of-control aggressiveness puts him in complete control:
"He elevates for jumpers half a beat before you would expect someone to do so. He contorts himself in traffic so he can draw a foul and still score comfortably. He manipulates defenses with jab steps, subtle fakes and the constant threat of getting all the way to the basket. He's in LeBron James and Chris Paul's category when it comes to getting rid of the ball immediately when a help defender overcommits.
It would be a mistake to say the game looks easy for Westbrook -- his style and demeanor mean that will never exactly be true. Like other all-time greats, though, the game appears to be played at his pace. When he's looking at a set defense, he's in complete control.
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All of this was on display throughout Tuesday night's proceedings, but never more than on a possession during the second quarter.
At first glance, the most notable part of the above play might seem like Steven Adams riding Hassan Whiteside as if the Miami center were a pony.
We'd argue that's third in the pecking order.
Second would be Westbrook's ability to get Adams the ball so fluidly. First would be the threat of Westbrook's finishing, which pulls Whiteside away from his assignment and creates the passing lane. Whiteside isn't one to cede such easy opportunities, but even he falls prey to Westbrook's dynamic athleticism. Can you blame him?
The OKC floor general doesn't even look human when he's playing like this:
Westbrook has done this to everyone in 2016-17, and you can barely find enough triple-doubles throughout the rest of the league to match his individual tally. This doesn't include those of Julius Randle, Rajon Rondo and Tim Frazier, but it's significant all the same:
To be clear, Westbrook is not just hunting for stats. His presence makes the Thunder so much better, even if it can occasionally seem like he's stealing rebounds away from bigs and seeking out assist opportunities.
Without Westbrook, Oklahoma City has been outscored by 10.1 points per 100 possessions. Not only would that displace the Philadelphia 76ers (minus-7.7 net rating) at the bottom of the league-wide hierarchy, but it would also be one of the 25 worst marks in NBA history.
OKC posts a 5.7 net rating when he plays, which would leave it sandwiched between the Cleveland Cavaliers (6.4) and Utah Jazz (5.3) for the Association's No. 7 score.
That disparity was evident yet again Tuesday night.
The Thunder offense ground to a halt without Westbrook; only two other players—Semaj Christon (three) and Enes Kanter (two)—could muster up multiple assists. But it ran smoothly with him playing, as he consistently passed players open and stretched the Miami defense thin with his rim-running assaults.
Westbrook doesn't play within the flow of the offense so much as he creates the flow within which he plays.
Earning a triple-double just didn't seem hard for him: No one else in the league is this good at contributing in so many different areas—and making it look so darn easy all the while.
To find a comparison, you have to turn to the history books, and not just because he's already joined Magic Johnson, Fat Lever and Michael Jordan as one of just four players to record 15 triple-doubles in a single season since 1983-84. He'd already done that last year, finishing the 2015-16 campaign with 18—a total he's a near lock to surpass.
Let's turn to ESPN:
Can he hit 31 against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 29 or the Los Angeles Clippers on the final day of 2016? Do you want to bet against him?
But even if he somehow falls short, the way he impacts the game goes well beyond the box score.
The Beard Keeps Bearding
Another night, another big performance for James Harden.
The bearded shooting guard point guard went for 34 points, five rebounds and 11 assists in the Houston Rockets' 123-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, shooting 9-of-16 from the field, 4-of-7 from downtown and 12-of-12 at the charity stripe. Somehow, those numbers don't even feel too out of the ordinary.
After this performance, Harden is averaging 27.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and a league-best 11.9 assists. He's shooting 44.3 percent during live action, 35.0 percent on triples and 84.2 percent on free throws.
And astoundingly, that still doesn't fully encapsulate his value.
Harden is actually trying on defense. He's also proved a perfect fit for head coach Mike D'Antoni's schemes, helping spark one of the league's most dangerous offenses while taking on responsibilities that would be unimaginable for so many others.
As NBA Math recently pointed out, he's on pace to have, by far, the best season of any point guard under D'Antoni. Yes, that includes Steve Nash's MVP campaigns with the Phoenix Suns:
But in many ways, Harden is still operating in the shadows.
His defensive reputation still belies his actual defense. He's constantly compared to Westbrook during his former teammate's parallel superhuman season. And he has the misfortunate of playing like a bona fide MVP front-runner during a year that features too many candidates to count.
Take time to appreciate this 27-year-old. You won't ever see another player quite like him.
Balance in Boston
No one player stood out for the Boston Celtics during their 113-103 win at the Grizzlies' expense, and that's a good thing.
Isaiah Thomas overcame a rough shooting night from the perimeter to finish with 21 points and seven assists, including the circus shot below:
But he was just one of six players in double figures.
Avery Bradley paced the C's with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Jae Crowder put up 17 points and seven boards. Al Horford had a quieter contest but still finished with 11 points, four rebounds, five dimes and two blocks.
Off the bench, Marcus Smart had 13 points, four rebounds and six assists. Gerald Green hit double digits for the first time this season, exploding for a 19-spot by keeping the defense off balance with his unique combination of athleticism and downtown ability:
This is what the Celtics have been waiting for.
Sure, the Grizzlies aren't the toughest opponent when operating without Mike Conley (sprained toe) and Chandler Parsons (rest). They also seemed uninspired at various points, noticeably ceding contested rebounds to the Beantown crew.
But Boston still displayed its depth, showing just how dangerous it can be when everyone is healthy and operating at a high level. Lest we forget, nbawowy revealed that the starting five of Amir Johnson, Horford, Bradley, Thomas and Crowder has posted an 11.6 net rating together.
If they can stay intact and let the bench feature so many assets in smaller roles more suitable for their skill sets, the C's will be a handful for anyone.
Can Utah Please Get Healthy?
The Los Angeles Lakers may have taken down the short-handed Clippers on Christmas Day, but they're still not the kind of team an upper-tier outfit wants to struggle against. And yet the Jazz, still expected to be one of the Western Conference's contending squads, did exactly that.
They emerged with a 102-100 victory, but that win required an air ball from D'Angelo Russell on the game's final possession. And that attempt was only necessary because Rudy Gobert failed to capitalize on either of his free-throw attempts one play earlier.
Joe Ingles, who made the lead-taking triple after taking advantage of Los Angeles' lack of defensive communication, emerged as the hero:
The backup small forward had a fantastic night, recording 13 points (including his first dunk of the season), two rebounds and two assists while playing quality defense. But the fact we're talking about Ingles filling such a large role is a problem in and of itself.
Gordon Hayward (31 points, nine rebounds, three assists) thrived as the alpha dog Tuesday night, and Gobert put up another double-double. But their contributions couldn't help the Jazz overcome their injury woes without withstanding a few struggles.
Derrick Favors, whose left knee has already forced him to miss 15 contests, still doesn't seem like he's playing at 100 percent. Rodney Hood, who dealt with a stomach bug, looks a few steps slow and could only muster up a 1-of-7 shooting performance.
Both the aforementioned players were expected to be premier contributors at their positions. Both haven't lived up to those lofty wishes.
And that's saying nothing of the diminished depth created by the absences of Dante Exum (left knee tendinitis), Alec Burks (knee and ankle problems) and George Hill (sprained toe). The lack of Hill, in particular, has been problematic for the Utah offense.
Despite all of this, the Jazz are now 19-13, sitting pretty at No. 6 in the West. Just imagine what they could do at full strength.
Hopefully we'll get to see that at some point.
Tuesday's Final Scores
- Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Miami Heat 94
- Boston Celtics 113, Memphis Grizzlies 103
- Houston Rockets 123, Dallas Mavericks 107
- Utah Jazz 102, Los Angeles Lakers 100
Adam Fromal covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @fromal09.
Unless otherwise indicated, all stats from Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com or NBA Math and accurate heading into games on Dec. 27.
