Russell Westbrook is having a terrific season until now, as he is a leading MVP candidate and has led the Oklahoma City Thunder throughout the campaign. However, before he started receiving positive comments about his leadership and energy, the guard was one of the most criticized players in the entire NBA. Everyone was stating that Westbrook is the main problem in the Thunder’s offense and that he was taking too many shots. Shots that Kevin Durant should have taken instead.
A lot of experts and ex-players have said that Westbrook is an awful point-guard. Magic Johnson called him “the worst point guard in a championship finals I’ve ever seen” during 2012, while the ESPN commentator Skip Bayless said that OKC “cannot beat good teams” as long as Westbrook is the main ball-handler.
Nevertheless, it seems that these times are over. Westbrook is almost singlehandedly keeping the Thunder in the playoff race, as Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka have suffered critical injuries. The point-guard has eleven triple-doubles in this season, eight more than everybody else in the NBA.
“Westbrook is enrapturing the league and dragging the Thunder to the playoffs by the scruff of their neck. He is on pace to average more than 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, a threshold that has been eclipsed only by Michael Jordan, LeBron James and (Oscar) Robertson.”
Westbrook has been simply terrific, and there isn’t an argument that can beat that statement. Furthermore, he has battled the common opinion that he isn’t a true point-guard and doesn’t make the players around him better. He has averaged more than eight assists per game this season, and almost everyone on the Thunder roster has benefited from Russell’s passing abilities.
“He’s the best [point guard] in the league,” Kanter said of Westbrook. “I’ve never really had a point guard like that, I’ve never had a point guard. He’s just the best in the league.”
Furthermore, there have been too many statements that the Oklahoma City Thunder can’t win a championship if Westbrook continues to play like he usually does. Too many people think that the guard should leave Durant run the show and take a more passive role. However, this year, Westbrook has shown that his team can win with him being aggressive. If he weren’t doing his thing, the Thunder would have been out of the playoff race since a long time ago.
During his previous seasons, Westbrook has been criticized a bit too much, but after this campaign I don’t think that will happen again. The point-guard has done pretty amazing things lately, and that is why his haters have nothing to say against him anymore.
NBA News: The Russell Westbrook haters are finally silent
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