OKC Thunder season review: Analyzing Russell Westbrook’s complicated season

In our year end, OKC Thunder player review TI dives into why Russell Westbrook had such a weird year and where he goes from here.

This is going to be tricky mostly because the things that I usually use to gauge progress and value for players don’t necessarily work in the context of OKC Thunder star Russell Westbrook.

The numbers will unequivocally tell you that he is a deeply flawed superstar whose inefficiency this year was historic. His out-of-control drives and incomprehensible shot selection made him seem like one of the worst players you’ve ever seen.

What’s more, his decision-making in close games regularly cost the Thunder wins. Everything about him, this year, in particular, screams fraud. But to evaluate him on this basis is to miss the value of Westbrook.

The things he excels at – collapsing defenses, interior passing, and pushing the pace – generally aren’t things that translate into tangible, visible results. And the things he’s not so great at – shooting, late-game decision-making, and staying under control – are all pretty glaring. But there’s something about his game that transcends numbers.

With that said, let’s take a look at his complicated value this season and how we can start to project forward into next.