Can Russell Westbrook Become NBA's Best Point Guard in 2014-15?
Is this the year the Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook emerges as the NBA's best point guard?
According to Thunder head coach Scott Brooks, Westbrook is already there, per ESPN's Royce Young.
"I believe Russell is the best point guard in basketball," Brooks said at media day. "That's happened over time. I've seen Russell every practice, every game, every film session, and he's really put a lot of time into being the best point guard in basketball."
Naturally, Westbrook agrees with his coach's assessment: "I've felt that since I got in the league. I mean, that's my mindset. As a rookie, I came in and I felt like I was the best player on the floor every time I stepped on the floor. That's just my mindset. That's the way I've played since college. It's not just this year or last year. It's how I think when I get on the basketball floor."
Westbrook's production during his six years in the NBA certainly puts him in the conversation for the league's best floor general. He's averaged at least 20 points per game the past four seasons. Last season, he put up 21.8 points per game despite missing 36 games due to knee troubles.
Young's article also has a few interesting notes that help Westbrook's case:
- Westbrook had three triple-doubles in last year's playoffs. Everybody else? Zero.
- In the past four seasons, he's averaged 20 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is the only other player to do that.
- Westbrook has won more playoff games (36) than the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul, Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard combined (35).
So, is Westbrook already the league's best point guard? If not, where does he rank and what can he do this season to claim that title?
Where Does Westbrook Rank Among The League's Best Point Guards?
To me, Russell Westbrook is the third-best point guard in the league, behind only Paul and Curry. Paul's all-around talent earns him the top spot. He's a great scorer, who also makes his teammates better and defends his position well. That's evident in his career stat line of 18.6 points, 9.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Curry is the NBA's most dangerous shooter. He's a career 44 percent three-point shooter and has led the league in makes from behind the arc the past two seasons. Despite his scoring acumen, the Davidson product still finds ways to get others involved. He posted a career high in assists last season, dishing out 8.5 dimes a night.
Curry's spotty defense puts him behind CP3 in the ranks, but his accuracy from long-range is enough to push him ahead of Westbrook.
Westbrook is the quintessential hybrid guard. His combination of explosiveness, athleticism and aggressiveness is what makes him such a dynamic scorer. However, he still runs the floor and facilitates like a point guard. Last season, he averaged 6.9 assists per contest, which was the fourth-best output in six seasons.
Bleacher Report's tag team of Adam Fromal and Kelly Scaletta provide a deeper look at the numbers. During the offseason, these two gentlemen created new ways to evaluate statistics. Two of those studies were Passer Rating and Scorer Rating.
The former delves into the impact a player's passing has on his teammates as well as the points that are generated by it. The latter goes beyond basic stats and takes into account attributes such as efficiency and a player's ability to create offense for himself.
It would take longer for me to explain these formulas than it would for you to read it, but I implore everyone to give their work a look.
Fromal and Scaletta's passer rankings deal solely with point guards, while their scoring study includes the entire league. In both categories, Westbrook finished 11th. The only guys at his position to finish ahead of him on both lists? Paul and Curry.
Here's Fromal's take on Westbrook's passing:
"Aided by Kevin Durant's talent for getting to the free-throw line, plenty of Westbrook's passes led to trips to the charity stripe. He also made his teammates shoot better off his assist opportunities than they did without them, even though Durant takes plenty of looks and is remarkably good at creating for himself.
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Likewise, Fromal writes that the former UCLA star's penchant for bad shots is what hurt his scoring rating:
"It's this overconfidence that holds Westbrook back from an efficiency standpoint, though it also makes him dangerous. This floor general is quite unpredictable, and defenses still can't risk him catching fire on this jumpers. When he rises into the air (and when Westbrook shoots, he really does rise), there's always some momentum-related danger.
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Until Westbrook plays with more control and opts for better looks, it will be tough for him to overtake the two guys above him. Curry has shooting in his blood. His father, Dell, is 32nd all time in three-point percentage (40.2 percent). As for Paul, he's spent nine years in the pros perfecting that stellar all-around game.
As with any young player, there are areas Westbrook must improve if he wants to climb the ladder.
What Does Westbrook Need To Do To Be The NBA's Best Point Guard?
The most important key to Westbrook reaching the top of the mountain is health. Obviously, the more you're on the court, the better chance you have at becoming the best at your craft. Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose's knee troubles have caused his stock to drop as concern over his durability continues to rise.
Last year was the only time Westbrook hasn't played a full season. Still, he had three knee surgeries in nine months. While the numbers suggest that those procedures didn't slow him down on the court, it is still something worth monitoring going forward.
A full season of good health will help prove that Westbrook's injury-riddled 2013-14 campaign was just an aberration.
Next, it is imperative that Westbrook makes smarter choices with the basketball, both as a passer and scorer. Westbrook's shot selection is the first thing critics point to. Nobody cares about his shooting when he goes 12-of-24 and scores 40 points like he did in a Game 4 win against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.
However, when he shoots 7-of-24 from the field like he did during Oklahoma City's Game 2 loss in that series, the naysayers are quick to apply the goat horns. Also, turning the ball over 3.8 times a game doesn't help your cause either. In Westbrook's defense, that number tied with Curry for the league's worst mark.
By comparison, CP3 committed 2.3 turnovers per game last season. That's with Paul playing in more games (62) and logging more minutes a night (35) than Westbrook did. You're not going to become the league's best point guard by continuing to be a chucker that turns the ball over, especially when the guy currently at the top is doing neither.
A commitment to taking smarter shots and better care of the basketball will help Westbrook tremendously, which will also help out the Thunder.
Lastly, while Westbrook isn't a slouch defensively, some improvement in that area will only help.
Westbrook has finished among the top 10 in steals per game three out of the last six seasons. His best performance came in 2010-11, when he averaged 1.9 thefts and finished fourth. Conversely, Paul has led the league in that category six times. He's also been named to some form of the All-NBA Defensive Team six times, while Westbrook has never cracked the list.
Paul has averaged fewer than two steals per game just once in his career (2006-07). Meanwhile, Westbrook has never topped 1.9 a night. Here's a look at some other key defensive stats from last season among the top point guard contenders:
| Player (Team) | Effective Field Goal Percentage Allowed | Steals Per Game | Defensive Rating | |
| Chris Paul (LAC) | 48.1 percent | 2.5 | 103 | |
| Russell Westbrook (OKC) | 49.1 percent | 1.9 | 102 | |
| Stephen Curry (GSW) | 55 percent | 1.6 | 104 |
The defensive ratings of all three men are close. Westbrook and Paul are also neck-and-neck in terms of holding opponents to a respectable field-goal percentage. Still, if Westbrook is going to pass Paul, becoming a better defender will give him a huge step in that direction.
In any walk of life, there is no chance at greatness without self-confidence. The trick is to not get so consumed with your own self-worth that you feel you are beyond improvement. Westbrook wears his confidence like a badge of honor.
The truth is, Westbrook needs to make some strides this season to unseat Chris Paul for the top spot. After last season, he has to prove he can stay healthy. He also has to be more efficient with the basketball and work a little harder on defense.
With his combination of size (6'3", 200 pounds), speed, explosiveness and athleticism, Westbrook could be a sick cross between Gary Payton and Allen Iverson. However, even "The Glove" and AI had to put in the work to reach the pinnacle of their games.
The same goes for Westbrook. If you're going to call yourself the best, you have to back it up. Otherwise, it's nothing but hubris.
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