Has Russell Westbrook Entered Mature Mode 0.2?
Russell Westbrook has two modes. The first, is Russ Mode. Everyone knows what Russ Mode is.
Russ Mode is when you just don’t care what people think and you do whatever pleases you, consequences and criticism be damned. It’s the mode you enter that make people hate you one minute and love you the next. It’s, quite honestly, the only way to live your life.
Westbrook is in Russ Mode almost 24/7. For him, it’s not a mode, it’s a way of life.
But there’s a little known mode that Westbrook rarely enters. It’s called Mature Mode.
Mature Mode is like Russ Mode, but it can only be activated during the game of basketball. It also eliminates all of the things you hate about Russ Mode. Those jump passes to the other team, the senseless threes, the out of control attacks into the paint. Those don’t exist in Mature Mode. It’s just Westbrook, controlling the game and not trying to do too much, while still doing everything.
We’ve quite possibly entered Mature Mode 0.2 with Russell Westbrook this season.
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It’s only one game and it did come against the Philadelphia 76ers, but what we saw on Wednesday night is what Thunder fans hope to see every night from their star point guard. From the opening tip, Westbrook looked in control of the game. He was directing traffic and making the right decisions at all times. Not only did he finish with a near triple double (is there anyone in the league who comes one assist or one rebound shy of triple double more often than Westbrook?), but, most importantly, the Thunder walked away victorious.
Without Durant, it’s sink or swim time for Westbrook. Most figure he’ll falter. He’ll get his numbers, but OKC will fail to win a lot of games due to Westbrook’s poor shot choices and decision making.
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In game one, Westbrook may as well have walked on water with the way he played. He had two turnovers all game. I don’t even remember them. I can tell you every single bad Westbrook turnover in the last two seasons, but I don’t remember the two he had less than 24 hours ago. He only took two threes. On a team that has very little outside shooting and with a guy who loves to shoot threes even though he’s not very good at them, I’m still in minor shock that he only took two shots from beyond the arch. I thought for sure that he was going to take nothing but threes after he took the first one in the middle of the fourth quarter. I would have bet my dog that he was going to take a three after he made one. But he didn’t.
Most importantly, Westbrook finally hit a clutch shot. I know, he’s hit clutch shots before. But for a guy with an alpha personality who is in a lot of clutch situations, Westbrook usually screws up in the final minutes of a close game. I was waiting for it to happen against Philly. When he drove to the basket, missed a layup, and complained about no foul in a tie game with just over a minute remaining; I thought he was falling apart.
Instead, he regrouped. He hit a an extremely tough jumper to put OKC up two with 1:07 left and then knocked down two free throws with 37 seconds left to break the tie for good.
Last night wasn’t the best game of Westbrook’s career or anything, but it was a statement game for him. He gave the people want that wanted. Impressive numbers, a couple of highlight reel plays, a win, and a reaction that perfectly sums up Mature Mode 0.2.
There is a lot of basketball left to be played. I can guarantee that Mature Mode 0.2 won’t last all season, but it just goes to show that when Westbrook plays a calm and in-control style, he can be the leader that Thunder fans hoped for.