Thunderous Intentions
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Russell Westbrook Must Be A Better Teammate

By Jeremy Lambert

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I love Russell Westbrook. I’m a big Westbrook defender. The Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn’t be as good as they’ve been over the past few seasons without Westbrook doing what he does on the court. I’ve always shot down any notion of trading the star guard and have always believed that the media has overblown any type of Westbrook and Kevin Durant “alpha dog” feud. I know there’s a good and bad version of Westbrook. I’ve coined the term “Russ Mode” which is simply a way to describe how Westbrook plays. Good or bad, Westbrook is always in “Russ Mode.”

These past couple of weeks, more specifically these past couple of games, have been more good than bad when it comes to Westbrook in “Russ Mode.”

Following a brilliant performance against the San Antonio Spurs on Christmas Day and a blowout victory against Charlotte, Westbrook has struggled.

In his his last five games Westbrook has averaged 18.4 points per game on 27% shooting.

Needless to say, those aren’t good numbers and definitely not numbers we’ve come to expect from Westbrook over the past few years.

The problem with Westbrook is when he’s not scoring, he’s not doing much of anything else either. We all know that he’s a score first point guard, but when the ball isn’t falling, his answer is to keep shooting instead of getting his teammates involved. He’s taken nearly 20 shots per game over his last five games. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant has taken 15.8 while Serge Ibaka, who is shooting 54% over his past five games, has only taken 10.6.

Westbrook needs to do a better job of getting his teammates involved when he’s not scoring. That means no more wild drives to the basket followed by crazy layup attempts. That means no more 20 seconds of dribbling followed by a desperation jumper. That means no more one-on-three breaks after a rebound that ends up with a missed mid-range shot. When he’s not scoring, he’s still a threat to score because everyone in the league respects his ability. He needs to use that respect to get open looks for guys like Anthony Morrow, Ibaka, and, now, Dion Waiters.

He can’t continue to force up shots in hopes that he’ll regain his rhythm. He has to be smarter and be a better teammate. It’s not like he’s playing with scrubs. On paper, Oklahoma City has one of the most talented teams in the league. As the point guard, it’s Westbrook’s job to make his teammates realize their full potential. When he’s hot and getting to the rim at will and making his mid-range jumper, I have no problem with him taking 20 shots a game. But when he’s cold, he needs to start playing “team ball” and not “me ball.”

That’s just on the offensive end. Defensively, he’s struggled as well.

While Westbrook scored 22 points on 5/21 shooting against Golden State, Steph Curry scored 19 points on 7/14 shooting. While Westbrook scored 10 points on 3/19 shooting against Sacramento, Darren Collison scored 24 points on 9/19 shooting.

I know that he’s not the only person guarding Collison or Curry or whoever the opposing point guard is all game but he does so most of the time. Westbrook is great at jumping passing lanes and ripping the ball from behind, but his one-on-one defense leaves a lot to be desired and he gets caught ball watching far too often.

If Westbrook isn’t contributing offensively, he needs to start taking pride in his defense and preventing opponents from scoring. Yet it seems like the only time he’s locked in defensively is when he’s performing well on the offensive end. The Thunder as a whole need to do a better job on the defensive end, but as a team leader and someone who wants to be looked at as “the guy,” Westbrook particularly needs to step his game up defensively.

I’m not asking Russell Westbrook to change his game, because that’s a lost cause at this point. I’m just asking him to be smarter in certain situations. I’m asking him to trust the guys around him and be a better teammate.

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