Kevin Durant Calls Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder's 'Best Player'

Kevin Durant is widely considered one of the top players in the NBA and the go-to guy for the Oklahoma City Thunder.   

But on Wednesday night, after the Thunder's 103-98 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Durant gave the role of Oklahoma City's best player to point guard Russell Westbrook, as Anthony Slater of NewsOK.com showed:

Both players have gotten off to a quick start this year. Westbrook is averaging 28.6 points per game, while Durant is putting up 29.2 points per contest. Entering Thursday night, they were ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the league in scoring.

Earlier in the season, though, Westbrook did back his teammate's elite level of play, per Bleacher Report:

Durant is coming off of a 2014-15 season in which he appeared in just 27 games due to injury, while Westbrook led the league in scoring with 28.1 points per game. The team, led by Westbrook and only Westbrook for much of the season, missed the playoffs in a heavily stacked Western Conference. 

It's obvious the Thunder need Durant in order to succeed. Simply deferring best player duties, even if it was to compliment a teammate, won't help the team. Durant needs to be a heavy influence, which he always is when on the court, and he needs to keep pace with the energetic Westbrook. 

There should be a chip on Durant's shoulder, too. He has to show the league he is still capable of lighting up the scoresheet on any given night after an injury-riddled season. That might mean taking touches away from Westbrook.

That shouldn't be a problem for Thunder fans. When it comes down to crunch time, the team should put the ball in the hands of Oklahoma City's best player, Durant, and leave the secondary scoring, which is nearly as important, to the high-octane and talented Westbrook.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.