OKC Thunder: Five Takeaways from Third Straight Home Loss
By Tony Heim
5. There’s no “D” in Russell Westbrook
Do you know how hard it is to throw shade at someone who put up 41 points (14-21 shooting), 12 rebounds, 16 assists and 2 turnovers? Not hard at all.
Russ allowed Elfrid Payton to do whatever he pleased on the offensive end tonight. Payton scored 23 points, dished out 9 dimes and did not commit a turnover in the Magic’s surprising win. In fact, Payton was beating Russ so bad in the first half that Billy switched Andre Roberson onto the point guard to start the second half. Unsurprisingly it worked.
And than Russ was switched back onto him in the fourth quarter. Payton proceeded to hit three WIDE OPEN threes in the fourth, the first time he’s hit three in an entire game in his career.
This had nothing to do with Russ getting caught up in screens. Or Russ trying to double-team the post. No, Russ was just chilling in the paint waiting for a rebound that would never come.
For a team that preaches defense you can’t have your team leader taking plays off. Especially for a guy who is notorious for never taking plays off. The defensive end is just as important as offense, and Russ should be practicing that more than anyone else.
Orlando was averaging 92 points a game going into the night. They scored 119 tonight. The blame has to rest on Russ’ shoulders for allowing Payton to break down the defense and get into the paint at will. It’s a shame that a truly incredible offensive performance has to be overshadowed. But someone’s got to say it.