NBA Execs: Wizards' Russell Westbrook Type of Player Who Declines Quickly

The decline of Russell Westbrook may have begun as the guard acclimates to life with the Washington Wizards.

According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, some NBA executives have anticipated a sudden drop in Westbrook's production:

"For years, executives within the league warned Westbrook might be one of those players -- reliant on athleticism, without a reliable jumper -- who falls off fast. What we have seen in Washington is either the beginning of that accelerated drop-off, or a blip of severe underperformance.

"Every Westbrook stat is down, save perhaps the most alarming: turnovers. Westbrook is coughing up a ghastly 5.2 per game, putting him on pace for the fourth recorded five-plus-turnovers season in league history. (Westbrook has one of the prior three, along with James Harden and DeMarcus Cousins.) An astonishing number have been unforced. Westbrook seems to have lost control of his handle, almost as if he has the yips. He is regularly bonking the ball off various extremities."

Through nine games, Westbrook is averaging 18.1 points, 10.2 assists and 9.7 rebounds per night while shooting 37.4 percent from the field.

While Lowe said that "it's too early to proclaim this the end," Westbrook's statistical decline is compounded by the fact that he isn't passing the eye test either.

He's not as aggressive getting to the rim, is averaging his fewest free-throw attempts since 2009-10 (5.2 per game) and is shooting a career-worst 61.7 percent from the line. One factor in his struggles is the absence of center Thomas Bryant, who's out for the season after tearing his ACL. According to Lowe, the big man was the most explosive pick-and-roll partner Westbrook had in Washington.

It's also hard to judge Westbrook's game since the team has been without Deni Avdija, Davis Bertans, Troy Brown Jr., Rui Hachimura, Ish Smith and Moritz Wagner because of the league's health and safety protocols.

Bertans, Hachimura and Wagner are expected to return to the lineup Friday.

How much that helps Westbrook remains to be seen. Regardless, the point guard has shown the ability to take over games in the past but hasn't been able to do so in D.C.