I have been in the middle of a recurring argument with one of my friends over the past week or so: Rondo or Westbrook?
My friend is a HUGE Oklahoma City fan, while I am a huge basketball fan in general. I love the Pacers, but when they aren’t playing I enjoy good basketball, especially if it’s being played at the point guard position.
With the Celtics now out of the playoffs and the Thunder moving on to the Western Conference Finals, our argument has centered on Russell Westbrook. And after watching Game 7, it is clear how Westbrook needs to play to be the right fit at the point on this young, talented, up-and-coming Thunder team.
Let’s just get a few things straight right away.
I think Westbrook is an amazing player. If I’m ranking point guards in the league today, I take him third behind Chris Paul and Derrick Rose. I really don’t think anyone else is that close. Rondo and Deron Williams round out the top five, but they aren’t in the same class as the top three.
Westbrook, along with Derrick Rose, is able to do things athletically from the point guard position that no one has ever seen. He’s one of my favorite players to watch attack the basket, and there is no shortage of excitement when he is on the floor.
I honestly believe that he is Derrick Rose Lite. Rose is a better finisher at the rim in my opinion, but Westbrook might actually be an even more explosive athlete than Rose.
Rose was this year’s MVP, and he definitely deserved it. But I honestly believe that if you switched him and Westbrook this year, Russell would have been able to lead the Bulls to 55 victories and he would have gotten serious consideration for MVP.
Again, I love Russell Westbrook.
But for the longest time, I have disliked him ON OKLAHOMA CITY. For one reason or the other, I just didn’t think he had a grasp of THE SECRET.
You see, I have this theory: there are certain players who can win you championships and others who HELP those players win championships.
(For all of you that mistakenly believe the NBA can be won by a good team with no stars, find a champion since 1980 that didn’t have a true superstar. Besides the exception of the 2004 Pistons, you can’t. Kareem, Moses, Magic, Bird, Isiah, Jordan, Hakeem, Duncan, Shaq, Kobe, and Garnett. Argument won. Let’s move on.)
Anyway, I believe that Kevin Durant is one of those players who wins you a championship. Other current players who fit this category include LeBron, Wade, Kobe, and Dwight Howard. Dirk, Carmelo, Chris Paul, and Derrick Rose MIGHT be able to do it (the jury is still out).
In my mind, Westbrook falls in the next category right below that group. Obviously, this makes him one of the best fifteen players in the league…but I don’t think he’s quite good enough to win you the title.
I just don’t believe that you can build a team around a small scoring guard and expect to win a title. Allen Iverson was as good as it gets for a small scoring guard, and he STILL came up short. Maybe today’s NBA with all the rule changes that reward quickness will change all of that. We will find out soon enough if it’s possible to win this way because the Bulls are trying to do it right now.
So I might be wrong.
But if I’m not, then in my opinion, Westbrook doesn’t fit with OKC.
Correction…DIDN’T fit.
Because on Sunday night, in Game Seven…he fit.
You see, I have been arguing with my friend for the past week that Rajon Rondo would be a better fit for the Thunder than Westbrook. Despite all of Rondo’s shortcomings (comparative to Westbrook), he puts on a clinic when it comes to running a team. He absolutely kills himself on offense in order to do one thing: get his teammates the ball in good spots.
From where I was sitting, even though Westbrook’s ceiling is higher than Rondo’s, the way he had been playing would put a cap on Durant’s ceiling.
In essence, for Westbrook to reach 100% of his potential, Durant would have to settle for 85% of his own. Whereas if Rondo was running the show, even if his 100% wasn’t as good as Westbrook’s, he would push Durant to the max.
And remember: Durant is the guy who wins you the title…not Westbrook.
But then I realized it. I’ve been much too hard on the young fellow.
Maybe you didn’t realize it, because I didn’t, but Westbrook is YOUNGER than rookie Greivis Vasquez.
In the irony of ironies, Westbrook played the best game of his career on Sunday, and to be honest it was EXACTLY the type of effort you would see out of Rondo.
He didn’t score much; he didn’t NEED to score much. What he did was play incredible defense, pull down vital offensive rebounds, and most importantly, get his guys shots when they needed to touch the ball. He finished with an incredible 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists.
But the game didn’t exactly start with a bang for young Russ.
There was a play late in the first quarter that was typical of the old Westbrook. He screamed down the lane on a fast break with Durant on his left. If he passed it off, it would have been an automatic two points. Instead, he drove right at Marc Gasol and made a spectacular layup.
But I instantly texted my friend. “THAT’S THE PLAY HE HAS TO MAKE! HE HAS TO GIVE HIS GUY THE BALL!!!”
As a point guard, your job is to make sure your whole team is involved at all times, especially your meal ticket. You have to make sure he’s getting enough touches to stay in the game. Even though Westbrook scored, I thought it was indicative of his problem.
But midway through the second quarter, the Thunder once again had a fast break. This time, it was Durant leading the break with Westbrook on his left and Harden trailing the two. Durant could have easily scored, but instead, he unselfishly dropped off to Harden who soared in for the lay in. All three players looked at each other and screamed. From then on, Westbrook was a different player.
Maybe Durant’s play made it click with Westbrook. Maybe Scotty Brooks yelled at him during a timeout. Maybe Russell just didn’t feel comfortable with his shot.
Whatever it was, something clicked with him during Game Seven. I watched with sheer glee as Westbrook stopped on a dime to give it to a trailing Durant on a fast break for the open three. I saw him drive into the lane WITH THE EXPRESS PURPOSE of breaking down the defense for his teammates.
For the first time, I saw Russell Westbrook being a true point guard.
Durant is the superstar. He is the best scorer in the league. For OKC to win the title, Durant will have to be firing on all cylinders. But the reality is that the Thunder will go as Russell Westbrook goes. If he keeps channeling his inner Rondo, nobody is beating them.
He was the reason for Durant’s 39. Without Westbrook, Harden doesn’t hit the big threes that he did on Sunday.
Learning to play the point is a long, arduous process. I’m sure Westbrook will continue to struggle over the next few weeks and maybe years. But I know this:
For a guy that never played point guard in college, a guy that has only been in the league for three years, a guy that is one of the best scorers in the NBA though his team doesn’t need him to be, a guy that is younger than most rookies…he sure played the position to perfection on Sunday.
Jon Washburn The TwitchIN'DY Sports Guy
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