Breaking Down How Russell Westbrook Breaks Down Opposing Defenses

It is no secret that Russell Westbrook can light up the scoreboard. During any given game and at any given moment, he can go into this unconscious mode where he utilizes his explosiveness and athleticism to completely take over on offense. 

This mode Westbrook goes into is something most NBA players have never experienced, nor is it something they are even capable of experiencing. 

Westbrook has the superhuman abilities of what is considered to be a freak of nature. There are some talents that can be developed through hard work and repetition, such as dribbling, shooting and passing. But some talents can't be developed with practice. Some talents are simply something players are born with. 

Westbrook is a prime example of a player with God-given talent. His exceptional speed, strength and athleticism cannot be taught, and that gives him more ability than most players to expose opposing defenses. He can beat defenders off the dribble, he can explode through the lane, he can run full speed and stop for a pull-up jumper, and he can even find the open man to pick up the assist. 

And after being sidelined for 14 straight games due to a fractured hand he suffered in the second game of the season, Westbrook made his return to the Oklahoma City Thunder lineup last Friday against the New York Knicks. 

It didn't take long to see the beneficial impact Westbrook's return brought to OKC. In fact, it was demonstrated in the very first possession of his comeback debut, and then further demonstrated in the subsequent possessions. 

Westbrook is known as a scorer, but this play demonstrates his effectiveness as a passer as well. 

The pick-and-roll is executed perfectly with Steven Adams sitting the screen near the elbow to free up Westbrook and then cutting to the rim for the open dunk. 

Westbrook did an excellent job in finding the open Adams off the pick for the assist. With the attention Westbrook gets from defenders, it is important to find and execute plays like this. And if Westbrook and Adams continue to utilize the pick-and-roll effectively, it will pose a pretty big threat to opposing defenses. 

It was a quick start for Westbrook in the game. One possession, one assist. 

And just to showcase his passing ability even further, Westbrook picked up another assist on the very next possession with a beautiful cross-court laser to Lance Thomas.

Westbrook is most dangerous in the open court. He is nearly unstoppable in transition because of his quickness and agility. In most cases, Westbrook will be able to beat his defenders to the hoop in breakaway opportunities, but this play shows he is capable of finding open teammates for higher percentage shots. 

Once Westbrook crossed half court, he saw defenders closing in on the painted area in front of him. Rather than attacking the rim and forcing a low-percentage shot, he wisely passed to an open Thomas standing just inside the perimeter. 

Thomas had enough time and space to fake a shot off the catch and then take a single dribble to get a closer jump shot. Westbrook made the right decision that gave the Thunder the best opportunity to convert the transition play, and it led to his second assist in just the second possession of the game. 

Then came the Thunder's third possession. 

Westbrook receives the ball from Adams at the top of the key and gets freed up momentarily by a screen set by Adams. Westbrook dribbles to the elbow and then turns to find Serge Ibaka wide open at the top of the key. 

Three possessions, three assists for Russell Westbrook. 

It's not unusual for a point guard to set up his teammates for scoring opportunities. As we all may know, it's actually one of the biggest responsibilities of a point guard. 

In that regard, Westbrook was simply fulfilling his duties by dishing out three straight assists to start the game. But why does this seem like groundbreaking stuff for him?

NBA analysts have questioned—even criticized—Westbrook's play at the point guard position due to his score-first, pass-second mentality. It's accurate that Westbrook is more of a scoring point guard rather than traditional, but that doesn't mean he is completely inept in setting up teammates to score—the videos above are proof of his assisting ability. 

Even if he changed his style of play to focus more on passing, he would not be as effective. He doesn't have to be more like more like Tony Parker, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo or any other pure facilitator point guards for the Thunder to win games or even a championship. His strength is his scoring ability, so he will always be looking to get his shots—as he should be.

Just because a player is labeled a "scoring" point guard does not mean he is incapable of racking up assists.

For example, Westbrook breaks down opposing defenses by repeatedly attacking the lane and scoring until opposing teams are tired of watching him light up the scoreboard. At that point, help defense is used to stop him on the drive, and Westbrook's next go-to option is to find the open teammate. 

His scoring ability will inevitably draw more defenders away from teammates, and he is more than capable of finding the open man for the score. After all, Westbrook averages 6.9 assists per game in his career. That statistic hasn't come by pure luck. 

Not everyone may agree that Westbrook is capable of recording a high number of assists on a consistent basis, but everyone can agree that he is one of the most electrifying playmakers currently in the NBA. 

It was inevitable for a Westbrook-slam highlight to be shown. It just so happens that this one came on the Thunder's third possession of their game against the Knicks. 

NBA fans and followers are accustomed to seeing Westbrook dunks, but they never cease to amaze. His speed, explosiveness, athleticism and fearlessness is what makes him special to watch.

It only takes a couple of made field goals for him to get on a roll. Once he's firing on all cylinders—layups, dunks, two-point jumpers, three-pointers—he is virtually unstoppable. 

Westbrook has the rare ability to take over games entirely by himself. He has done it countless times throughout his career, and his comeback debut against the Knicks last Friday was a perfect example of how he can break down opposing defenses. 

He finished the game with 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists in just 24 minutes of play. He's probably not going to put up numbers like that every night, but the game demonstrated his impact for the Thunder.

It seems Westbrook was put on this Earth to exploit opposing defenses. Once he's clicking, his game turns into visual art. He becomes basketball's version of Picasso with a basketball as his paintbrush and a court as his canvas. 

And while not everyone may agree on what Westbrook's role should be or whether his style of play can lead the Thunder to a championship, his relentless effort and desire to compete exemplifies what is special about basketball.

Russell Westbrook is going to be Russell Westbrook and no matter what people say, he's not going to change his style of play. 

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