How Good is Russell Westbrook?

by Tommy Dee on April 27th, 2010 at 11:17 am

While I was watching the Oklahoma City Thunder battle the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of their first-round series, there were several things that come to mind and really jumped out at me.

First, after watching Russell Westbrook over the past few weeks, and the time he came to the Garden against the Knicks and calmly just missed a triple-double by a single rebound (31 pts, 10 assists, nine rebounds), I think that he’s established himself in Derrick Rose‘s class in terms of guards on the cusp of superstardom.

Rose, the first overall pick from the 2008 class, really burst onto the scene last playoffs against the Celtics and worked hard on his jump shot this offseason. That work translated more in his mid-range game, not from behind the arc, where he managed just 26 percent (up from 22 percent last year), but Rose is clearly morphing into a very gifted scoring guard, a la Dwyane Wade.

Westbrook, on the other hand, has more tools in my opinion. He’s as gifted defensively as any guard in the league. He can distribute the basketball and score when needed. Just look at his NBA.com efficiency numbers, which can be calculated here.

During the first four games of the playoffs he’s managing a ridiculous +26.25 efficiency total compared to Rose’s +22.67. Now, I still think that Rose has more on his resume and has the slight edge, but Westbrook is gaining fast and a first-round upset over the Lake Show would inch him even closer.

Can the Thunder pull off an upset over a Lakers team that now needs to rely on an injured Kobe more than ever before? I still think the Lakers manage to pull through, but a long first-round series could hamper a title defense. And not just because it’s drawn out and players garner more minutes; to me, it’s more because a longer series exposes a team’s weakness. Ron Artest, in my opinion is the best two-way forward since Scottie Pippen, and he is having a hard time getting the right shots in the Lakers’ offense. He’s deferring right now and focusing on defense, not playing his typically aggressive offensive game. I don’t know if that’s by design from Phil Jackson, but if it is it’s terrible game-planning. The Lakers now more than ever need Artest to step up.

Sources have told me that Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh desperately tried to move up to get Westbrook two years ago and dangled David Lee in a deal to Memphis. Westbrook never fell to No. 5. So Walsh stayed put and selected Danilo Gallinari, who just completed a very impressive second season. I just have to wonder where the Knicks would be with Westbrook, a kid out of UCLA whom I rated over O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon and behind Rose at the guard position. I think he would have been special enough to have led them to the playoffs this year.

But enough hypotheticals. More.
  • JaymanJD

    Should we also feel sorry for walsh passing on Brandon Jennings. If walsh wanted westbrook so bad he could have dangled more than just Lee say wilson chandler for instance. The fact is they didn’t want to get the deal done and you can tell that someone does not want to get a deal done by the lame offer they make. D’antoni wanted to draft his boy we all know that the coach plays favorites and it has cost us wins. Im sure Brandon Jennings was simply not drafted because they didn’t like him personally and now the Bucks are in the playoffs. The knicks are where they are because of EGO. This coach is not a players coach he is an himself coach and he willing to lose games for the betterment of his own ego. If star players dont come to NY you can blame one person D’ANTONI. Some how everyone gives him credit for the olympics a team full of allstars. D’Antoni better make the playoffs next year or he is finished. I also dont even get why he was paid big money why didnt the knicks just give herb the job for two years. Seems like a huge waste of money but that what the knicks do.

  • illsun

    It amazes me how many assumptions you guys make in your arguments.
    When you assume you make an a$$ out of me and you.

    Let’s talk facts. I used to liek this blog becuase of the smart convo. Now it has just become a house of assumption and clever ways to spell D’antoni.

  • illsun

    It amazes me how many assumptions you guys make in your arguments.
    When you assume you make an a$$ out of me and you.

    Let’s talk facts. I used to liek this blog becuase of the smart convo. Now it has just become a house of assumption and clever ways to spell D’antoni.

  • italian stallion

    IMO Westbrook has super star potential. If he can develop some consistency on his outside shot, he’ll be a superstar. If not, he’ll still be a very solid PG because he has such a broad range of skills already.

    If the Knicks had him I would be sleeping very well these days.

    If given a choice between Westbrook and Gallo, I’d take Westbrook without much hesitation.

    They are both young and seem to have the work ethic to continue improving, but Westbrook has more natural athleticism and is both more likely to become a star and more likely to go to greater heights.

  • DwaneT

    If Walsh had known the Marbury situation would have gone the way it did, he may have offered more for Westbrook. He’s admitted he made a mistake with Jennings and he didn’t want to trade Hill. He’s made some mistakes, but he’s done what he said he would do. I disagreed with his plan from the beginning, but I respect him for having one and sticking with it.

    D’Antoni does have a major ego, but every pro coach does in some form. He tried to prove his system could work with anyone in the beginning of the year, and he was proven completely wrong. Hopefully it will make him better at making adjustments in the future.

    At this point if they don’t make the playoffs next year, both will probably quit before they’re fired. So we need to let that ship sail and focus on what future possibilites can happen to make us better in the short term. Coach and GM may not read the blogs, but they know people who do, and folks on here do still come up with intriguing scenarios for trades and draft choices. Give Walsh and D’Antoni something they can work with ’cause they really don’t know everything.

  • ds2488

    Westbrook is freaking amazing. I still put Rose ahead of him, but thats it as far as young pgs go. No disrespect to Brandon Jennings who is also amazing, but Westbrook and Rose are on a different level than any other young pgs. Not even close. Curry is probably the 3rd best out of young pgs, with Jennings behind him as the 4th best.

  • blackwood

    I say Westbrook is the better player between him & Rose. I think Rose is a stud but GEEEZ Westbrook is like the guard version of Grant Hill in his prime!! A walking triple double on any given night!

    I was just wondering where donnie said he made a mistake not drafting Jennings? I would love to read it or see the clip, I never read or say that quote from him, can somebody put a link up for that please thanks.

    Wondering out loud here but on draft night did they try to send Gallo & Lee or Chandler to them for Westbrook? I mean I loved that guy coming out of school as well and had my fingers crossed for him and when he was 1 pick away I was like YESSSS! Then they ripped my guts out when they said his name lol. I wanted Gordon myself to be the pick after that above the rest but whatever!!

  • blackwood

    I hear what your saying ds2488….I think all 3 of those guys are better scoring guards then Jennings foe sure but not sure about being the ball distributer Jennings is but you could not go wrong with any of those guys! Sadly NONE of them are on the KNICKS!! lol

  • da0213

    Tommy,

    You couldn’t be more wrong about the Lakers.

    Artest is arguably the 5th scoring option on this team behind Kobe, Gasol, Bynum, Odom. He should continue to keep up the intense D, and stick with that, because it should be noted that 1) the Lakers OPP FG % is 40%, the lowest in the playoffs right now, and 2) when Artest becomes one of your main scoring options, you’ve got problems (see Houston last year).

    What we’re seeing right now is typical L.A. basketball right now – they don’t take their opponents seriously, and they let them linger. But ultimately – and you can almost bank on this – they put the opposition away in the end.

  • ds2488

    lol true.

  • ds2488

    Honestly Im glad we didn’t take Gordon. I never liked him much before the draft, but after his rookie year I thought he could be a really good player. He hasn’t shown much improvement this year though..His assist/turnover ratio is awful. I think its pretty much 1 to 1. Without the passing, he’s just another undersized sg who’s more of a 1 dimensional scorer…those guys are pretty easy to come by.

    If we had Westbrook or Jennings or Curry right now, I’d be really excited about our future. Dantonis system would be working with anyone of those guys running it, although Jennings has to improve his shooting efficiency to really be an elite pg. But he’s right there..I wonder where he will be when he learns how to score more efficiently. He might be the best out of all of them if that ever happens.

    But anyway, between Gallo/Gordon/Lopez, Im pretty glad we have Gallo. Lopez is pretty good too, but the fact that the Nets were as bad as they were and that Lopez routinely disappears against other elite centers worries me. His rebounding is lower than it should be too. But he could be the best out of all of those guys, He certainly put up the best numbers and was the most consistent this year. Im just not sold on him until his team can get at least 20 wins.

  • SpaceMan

    i actually wanted westbrook in that draft, but the sonics took him before donnie could. i was glad that donnie at least had his sights on him. oh well, what’s done is done and I’m plenty happy with the guy we got.

  • Starks3ofPA

    I’m a die hard ucla bruin fan my favorite player growing up was baron Davis bc was a great pass first pg who could also get his at will not to mention play great defense but when Russell stepped on the floor he instantly became my guy. …was not heavily recruited and earned his playing time bc he is an extremely hard worker. …he is best in open floor I remember Kevin love throwing his outlet pass from the inbound Russell catching taking two steps and flushing it home. …….rose is a hell of a point but due to my bias I take Russell but I can live with our pick of danilo the boy can shoot

  • VOR

    “Sources have told me that Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh desperately tried to move up to get Westbrook two years ago and dangled David Lee in a deal to Memphis.” That may or may not be true. That could be revisionist history, it could be one of Walsh’s cronies trying to throw the fans a deceptive bone (present company included), more than likely it’s just hearsay “that I’m not trying to hear!” All Walsh have to do now is buy the pic that will get the Knicks Eric Bledsoe! Let him GM-”up” and put a competent mark on this draft, and prove his worth!

  • http://www.youtube.com/tharealest62qb DaGawD_KnowLedge

    in the long run he will be better than rose
    he’s quicker an has averaged more assist than rose..

  • Mucha

    “Sources have told me that Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh desperately tried to move up to get Westbrook two years ago and dangled David Lee in a deal to Memphis. Westbrook never fell to No. 5″

    No disrespect but I think this is inaccurate, David Lee said he didn’t want to sign/resign with the Grizzlies – the Grizzlies just didn’t want to pull the trigger, correct me if I’m wrong! Without Lee’s veto I think Donnie Walsh would’ve traded David Lee for the 5th pick – he would’ve 1. drafted Eric Gordon + Danilo Gallinari 2. traded up for OJ Mayo.

    Derrick Rose is a lot better than Russell Westbrook in my opinion, because Westbrook plays with Durant. He doesn’t get as much as attention as Rose… He’ll be a star though, maybe a superstar I don’t know.

  • Mucha

    Donnie Walsh wanted Mayo, Westbrook and Gallinari in 2008 – his targets were the right ones.

    Last year’s draft was a failure though – he wanted the right players (Curry, Evans) but passing on Brandon Jennings was a huge mistake. I thought Hill was a better prospect though – I must admit that I was wrong as well.

  • Mucha

    I like Gordon but I’ve been VERY disappointed with his development (lack thereof). His teammates don’t try to help him either, he’s surrounded by a bunch of overrated chuckers. He needs to be more aggressive though.

  • Mucha

    Curry’s better than Jennings statistically but, because the Bucks are 2-2 against the Hawks in the 1st round of the playoffs I’d say that BJ’s better than Curry right now.

    Westbrook and Rose are clearly ahead of them anyways (like you said).

  • blackwood

    His numbers over all are good when you factor the team he is on and having a shoot first PG. We shall see what happens when Blake gets there and Gordon can go back to doing what he is best at and that is being the kick out shooter he is.

  • http://www.dailythunder.com/2010/04/wednesday-bolts-4-28-10/ Wednesday Bolts – 4.28.10 | Daily Thunder.com

    [...] Tommy Dee of Knicks Blog giving some love to Russ: “First, after watching Russell Westbrook over the past few weeks, and the time he came to the Garden against the Knicks and calmly just missed a triple-double by a single rebound (31 pts, 10 assists, nine rebounds), I think that he’s established himself in Derrick Rose’s class in terms of guards on the cusp of superstardom.” [...]