By Jeff Arnold

To many people Russell Westbrook is not a hot commodity. He shoots too much, passes too little, and doesn’t seem to understand that he has the best scorer in the world on his team and on the floor with him in crunch time. Criticism for Westbrook comes in often and tends to border on pathetic. One night he’ll shoot 4-15 from the field and is said to have shot too much, the next he’ll start 7-9 and play a conservative game only to pass off shots at the end and is said to need to be more assertive with the ball. For him, nothing is good enough in the eyes of critics.

Despite the number of vocal critics of Russ’ style of play, he also has garnered the respect of his teammates and some of the best players in the game. Yes, sometimes his stat lines are far from pretty, but the intangibles that he brings to the floor on a night-in-night-out basis are what separates him from other guards in the NBA.

Westbrook’s defense can be summarized in three words: risk and reward. Being one of the most athletic players in the league, combined with having one of the biggest chips on his shoulder, makes for an entertaining, albeit effective style of defense.  He’s a gambler and sometimes his big risks will pay off with big dividends. Whether it be a jumped pass turned into an emphatic, momentum-changing dunk, or suffocating backcourt defense that turns into a three pointer off an assist, Westbrook has the ability to single-handedly change the feel of a game because of his attitude on defense. The problem with all these risks though, is that sometimes the turnovers and points are few and far between. When playing other elite level point guards he will be left playing from behind on an annoyingly high amount of possessions because of his failure to recognize when to play more conservative. Although the Thunder are still a defensive minded team with some rotations, specifically those with Andre Roberson and Steven Adams, Westbrook’s tendency to occasionally overplay passing lanes and subseqeuently be left straggling behind the actual play does get him in trouble. The good thing about the risk-reward defensive style, at least this year, is that despite these downsides, statistically he has been improving. His steal per turnover ratio (. 58), steals per game (2.2), steals per 36 minutes (2.4), and steals per 48 minutes (3.2) are all at the highest levels of his career. His steals per game rate is also higher than Stephen Curry and Chris Paul (2.1 and 1.9, respectively), who some consider to be the two premier point guards in the NBA. Despite not changing as a defensive player, a more mature and refined Russell Westbrook is emerging and proving to excel.

Despite being a well above-average defender, Westbrook’s specialty has always been, and will always be, scoring. His innate jumping ability, quickness, and ability to both absorb and avoid contact near the rim have placed him as one of the best scorers in the game. His skill and athleticism also feed into what makes him so special and exciting to watch. No matter the importance of the game he is always in attack mode. As bad as it sounds from a team perspective, Russ trusts himself to get to the rim and score and/or draw a foul more than anyone else on the team. This may sound crazy considering he plays with the league’s best scorer in Durant, but in terms of ability to get a close range high-percentage shot, no one on the Thunder is better than him. Like all of Westbrook’s strength’s however there are downsides. He does have a tendency to settle for jumpshots. That’s not necessarily a bad thing all the time, but mid-range pull-ups in transition for a player of his athleticism and strength are not what his team needs. It works in the half court, where his explosive speed and quick stop and release creates natural separation; however, the amount of times that the Thunder will have numbers in transition only to have him take a mid-range or outside jumpshot is concerning. Like his defensive gambles though, he is getting better at judging when to settle and when to attack. His 3 point attempt rate is down considerably from last year, demonstrating his recognition of needing to attack the rim more often than take outside shots, while his free throw rate, often a reflection of the willingness for a player to attack the rim and draw contact, is up from last season. His shooting numbers are still not that high comparitively to other elite level point guards, specifically Stephen Curry, however, they are not dismal by any means. Those who think that Russ’ field goal and three point percentages are the things that most accurately describe who he is as an offensive player don’t appreciate what he does on a nightly basis. His assist percentage, an estimate of the amount of field goals assisted by a player when he is on the floor, is at a career high of 45.9%, which also ranks above other elite scoring point guards such as Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry. In terms of improvement he has also raised his assist numbers; averaging 7.6 per game and 8.4 per 36 minutes, both up from last season. This is especially significant because he has had to assume a bigger leadership Much like on defense, he is improving as an offensive player despite already being part of the upper echelon in the NBA.

Whether or not Westbrook is a good player isn’t the question; even his harshest critics acknowledge that he is a very good pout guard. The question is whether he is an MVP candidate. This may seem crazy, but he is, and one of the leading ones in my mind. His stats speak for themselves, but it is the energy and relentless competitive nature that he brings every possession that make him the most valuable player in the NBA. Kevin Durant is a premier scorer who helps the Thunder, everybody already knows this, but Westbrook means more for the team as a whole. He is a floor general, defensive anchor, and scorer all in one package. He doesn’t play a traditional style of point guard, but that’s a good thing. It’s his unique approach, only possible because of insane athleticism and drive, that set him apart. Considering where the Thunder stand (in playoff contention with just under half the season remaining), he has the chance to prove his critics wrong and lead his team to a playoff berth and possibly a title. If OKC makes the playoffs you have to look at him as the undisputed leader of that team, because of Durant’s numerous injuries, and thus he is a solid candidate for Most Valuable Player.