What’s the Deal With Russell Westbrook?

Do The Critics Have A Point?

It is actually more complicated than that, at least from a numbers perspective.

During the regular season, the Thunder had a significantly higher winning percentage when Westbrook attained a triple-double than when he did not.

Team’s Record When Westbrook Gets a Triple-Double

• 2016-17 Thunder: 33-9; .785 win percentage

• 2017-18 Thunder: 20-5; .800

• 2018-19 Thunder: 23-11; .676

• 2019-20 Rockets: 5-3; .625 win percentage

In the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, the Thunder went 53-14 (a .791 winning percentage) when Westbrook attained a triple-double; roughly a 65-win pace in an 82-game regular season. In both of those years, the Thunder had a losing record when Westbrook played but did not get one. In the 2016-17 season, Westbrook’s M.V.P. year, the Thunder were 13-26 in those games.

For the 2018-19 season, Westbrook’s final season in Oklahoma City, the Thunder went 23-11 (a .676 win percentage) when Westbrook had a triple-double, and 21-18 in games Westbrook played but did not get one (.538 win percentage). They were only 5-4 when Westbrook did not play.

But Westbrook’s approach didn’t exactly make for great offense in Oklahoma City. In two of the three seasons in which he averaged a triple-double, the Thunder had a below average offense, and were tied for eighth in the other one.

The Numbers Beyond The Numbers

Where Westbrook is hounded most by his critics is for his inefficiency as a scorer. He’s a terrible outside shooter for a guard, with a career mark from 3-point range of just 30.5 percent. In his lone season with Houston, he shot 25.8 percent. In today’s pace-and-space N.B.A., not being a passable shooter can be a hindrance to offenses.

Beyond that, Westbrook needs a lot of shots to score the points that he does. His true shooting percentage — a measure of efficiency that takes into account 3-pointers and free throws — has been below average for most of his career. It is at 53 percent, while last year’s league average, for example, was 56.5 percent.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/sports/basketball/russell-westbrook-washington-wizards.html