Russell Westbrook's 2015 MVP Case Is About More Than Just Offensive Brilliance

Russell Westbrook's gaudy offensive numbers aren't the only reason voters should consider him for this year's MVP. The Oklahoma City Thunder star has also established himself as one of the league's best two-way guards with his elite defense. 

Westbrook has taken the basketball world by storm with his statistical dominance this season, especially in the last two months. He's averaging 27.3 points (first in the NBA), 8.7 assists (fourth) and 7.1 rebounds, while notching seven triple-doubles in his last 15 games. The Thunder now hold a three-game lead over the Phoenix Suns for the Western Conference's eighth seed despite the continued absence of superstar Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka. 

Since Feb. 1, Westbrook has been averaging 30.6 points, 10.5 assists and 8.8 rebounds. 

With those heroics, Westbrook joins Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Chris Paul in the discussion for the hardwood's top individual honor. 

However, Westbrook's flirtations with the history books has taken attention away from the strides he's made defensively. The ability to lock down opponents is an area the UCLA product takes very seriously, per Sam Amick of USA Today. 

"

(The defense) is important man. For us to win games, we've got to defend," Westbrook said. "We can score with the best of them; we can do that every night. But I think defense is something that we've got to take pride in as a unit. It starts with me, and my job is to be able to come out and set the tone defensively and kind of keep going from there.

"

Statistically, this has been the best defensive season of Westbrook's seven-year career. He's posting a defensive rating of 102, while ranking third in steal percentage (3.2) and achieving a defensive box plus/minus of 2.4, per Basketball-Reference.com. All of those stats either tie or best his previous career highs. 

Name	Defensive Rating	Steals Per Game	Steal Percentage	Defensive Box Plus/Minus	Defensive Win Shares
Westbrook	102	2.2	3.2	2.4	2.8
Curry	100	2.1	3.1	0.5	3.8
Harden	102	1.9	2.5	1.2	3.8
James	105	1.5	2.2	0.8	2.5
Paul	105	1.9	2.8	0.2	2.7
Davis	100	1.5	2.1	2.7	3.5

This chart shows how those efforts stack up against the other candidates for the Maurice Podoloff trophy. While Westbrook trails the competition in win shares, he makes up for it in other categories. 

One of the biggest ways Westbrook has made an impact at the defensive end has been his ability to force turnovers, turning them into easy opportunities on offense. The 26-year-old is second in the NBA with 2.2 steals per game, and the clip below puts those hawk-like instincts on full display. 

According to NBA.com, Westbrook generates 4.3 points per game off turnovers. Although players such as Harden, Curry and James score higher in this category, the gap between Westbrook and those guys isn't very wide. 

The one area Westbrook could improve is the consistency of his on-ball defense.

Here's how Westbrook's defended field-goal percentages, both overall and on the three-point line, compare to the others. As you can see, Westbrook is the only one who isn't posting a negative differential in either category. 

Name	Defended Field-Goal Percentage	Normal (differential)	Defended Three-Point Percentage	Normal (differential)
Westbrook	45.2	44.4 (+0.8)	40.5	35.4 (+5.1)
Curry	40.3	43.3 (-3.0)	33.5	34.3 (-0.9)
Harden	42.2	44.6 (-2.4)	31	35.5 (-4.5)
James	43.1	44.6 (-1.5)	32.4	34.9 (-2.4)
Paul	42	44.1 (-2.1)	36.5	35.1 (+1.4)
Davis	39.8	46.4 (-6.6)	27.4	35.5 (-8.1)

To his credit, Westbrook realizes he needs to do a better job of applying pressure, per Anthony Slater of The Oklahoman. 

"

I gotta step up defensively. That's what I gotta do for us to win games. No matter how many points I score, rebounds, assists, I gotta defend," Westbrook said. "Letting too many guys off the hook. Letting them feel too comfortable dribbling the ball up the floor, doing what they want. I’m just sitting back, chilling. I gotta set the tone early.

"

It might be unrealistic to expect Westbrook to carry the team offensively and still have enough energy to ramp up the intensity at the other end. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Westbrook leads the league with a usage rate of 38 percent, nearly four percent higher than the next-highest player (Wade, 34.6).

While most of the other MVP candidates are also pulling double duty, they have the benefit of a better supporting cast to lighten the load. Davis is the only one of the group who can relate to Westbrook's struggle, as the New Orleans Pelicans have had injury issues as well. 

With no Durant or Ibaka, the weight of Oklahoma City's world is on Westbrook's shoulders. Now, with Andre Roberson out, Westbrook has to be the team's top scorer and its best perimeter defender.

Fortunately, he doesn't have to spend the intermissions between quarters rescuing kittens from trees and helping elderly women cross the street. But he could.  

On the one hand, Westbrook's ability to play any semblance of defense despite the heavy workload is commendable. On the other, there are going to be games where he gets bested by his peers, and that will hurt his MVP candidacy. It's the gift and the curse of being a one-man wrecking crew. 

D. Clarke Evans/Getty Images

For the Oklahoma City Thunder to remain competitive without Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook had to take his game to another stratosphere. Offensively, he has done that by becoming a triple-double threat every time he touches the court. 

However, Westbrook's work on defense has been nearly as impressive, especially considering how short-handed the Thunder are this season. The point guard has made it a point to be just as aggressive in stopping opponents as he is when he's eviscerating defenders at the other end. 

It remains to be seen whether Westbrook is the most valuable player in the NBA, but there's no question he's the most valuable player in Oklahoma City.