Can Russell Westbrook Keep Carrying the Load Without Kevin Durant?
With Kevin Durant set to miss more time because of injury, the Oklahoma City Thunder need Russell Westbrook to take over.
That's not going to be a problem.
Following a procedure to change the hardware in his surgically repaired right foot, Durant will be sidelined for at least a week and then re-evaluated, per an official team release. The hope is that KD will return pain free for the stretch run.
Failing that, OKC would probably settle for fewer instances of Durant hobbling off the court and shouting to head coach Scott Brooks, "I can't move," which he did in his last game action against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 20, per Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman.
In the meantime, Westbrook is at the controls again—a familiar position in a year that has seen him take the floor without KD 15 times through contests played Feb. 22. The Thunder are 9-6 in those games, which isn't anything to brag about, but that record is a good place to start when breaking down what Russ must do to keep OKC afloat.
Or, instead of digging into the data, we could just run tape of the 2015 All-Star Game on a loop. You know, the one in which Westbrook proved he could star in a game filled with nothing but supernovas.
Westbrook brought home the All-Star Game MVP award. That's the good kind of hardware.
Westbrook has been a monster this season, posting career highs in scoring (26.2 points per game) and player efficiency rating (28.9), per Basketball-Reference.com. His true-shooting percentage hasn't budged from where it was a year ago despite the fact that his usage rate has rocketed skyward.
Typically, a player shouldering so much added ball-handling and scoring responsibility suffers a decline in efficiency. Defenses key on him, he is responsible for tough shots on late-clock possessions, and fatigue factors in.
Not for Westbrook. Not this year.
And his production, incredibly, is trending up. Westbrook's February stats are cartoons: 30.6 points, 10.1 assists and 7.9 rebounds on 49.4 percent shooting. He's largely holstered the long ball and opted for basket attacks instead, as his average of 10.6 foul shots to 3.7 trey attempts per game this month indicates.
He went off for 21 points, 17 assists and eight boards in just 27 minutes against the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 22. That caught some eyes:
"Alright Russ can be MVP if he keep this up. He is hooping
— BRANDON JENNINGS (@BrandonJennings) February 23, 2015"
Upshot: Westbrook has been better than just about anybody lately.
The lingering question is whether he can keep it up without Durant around for a while.
According to NBA.com, the Thunder have posted a net rating of plus-9.3 points per 100 possessions with Westbrook and Durant on the floor together this season, which would rank second in the league. When Westbrook has been on the floor without KD, Oklahoma City's net rating has predictably suffered, slipping to plus-6.0 points per 100 possessions.
That number doesn't sound as great, but it'd actually rank fifth in the entire NBA.
Also of note: The data indicates that when removing either Durant or Westbrook from the floor, the Thunder have been better with Westbrook flying solo than they've been when KD plays without his point guard.
| Durant Sitting | 100.7 | 101.2 | —0.5 |
| Westbrook Sitting | 96.0 | 99.8 | —3.8 |
Nobody's saying the prospect of (at least) a week without Durant isn't scary for the Thunder. Another absence, especially one caused by an injury notorious for recurring, is a huge deal.
And the Thunder have got to be tired of reeling off wins, feeling secure in their playoff fate and then abruptly being reminded that nothing's certain.
Fortunately, a few things have changed since the last time Westbrook had to prop up the Durant-less Thunder. The key competitors for the No. 8 spot OKC currently occupies—the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans—now appear weaker than they have all year.
The Suns traded three rotation cogs—Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas and Miles Plumlee—at the deadline. Brandon Knight, their most meaningful new addition, is a fine player. But between losing talent and having to integrate new bodies on the fly, the Suns aren't quite as formidable as they once were.
They've lost four straight, by the way.
New Orleans lives and dies with Anthony Davis, and he's out for a couple of weeks after aggravating a right shoulder injury on Feb. 21 against the Miami Heat, per a team announcement. Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday remains sidelined with a stress reaction, and Ryan Anderson's sprained MCL will keep him out of action for up to a month. Maybe it sounds harsh, but it may now be safe to rule the injury-riddled Pelicans out of playoff contention.
Even the teams ahead of the Thunder are vulnerable.
Tony Parker hasn't looked healthy all year for the No. 7 San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks' Rajon Rondo experiment has met with mixed results, and Blake Griffin's elbow surgery will leave the Los Angeles Clippers one superstar short for a while longer.
The top of the West is as fearsome as ever. The bottom (in terms of playoff seeds) is looking meeker by the minute.
Plus, and this is a big deal, OKC's deadline shuffling brought Westbrook some help.
D.J. Augustin can handle the ball and knock down open shots. Enes Kanter can score inside and clean the glass. Kyle Singler can space the floor and do a little bit of everything. It's not totally accurate to say the Thunder are suddenly deep, but they're not nearly as shallow as they used to be.
And it's worth factoring in the improved vibes created by Reggie Jackson's exit. Maybe we're wrong in thinking Westbrook, maniacally focused and determined as he is, would be affected by the unhappiness of a teammate. But it can't hurt to cut loose a malcontent whose departure Westbrook coolly summarized like this, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman:
Durant going down again is in no way a good thing. It'll make the road ahead tougher for the Thunder, possibly eliminating what was a very good chance to take a run at the seventh or sixth seed. Long term, it should go without saying that KD's health is a major concern.
Right now, though, just as he's been all year, Westbrook is ready.
Supported by better talent, facing a suddenly softer slate and in the midst of the best stretch of his career, rampaging Russ won't let the Thunder slip.
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