Great breakdown !! This is the Russ I want to see every night, he can be sooo effective playing his way and while I realize he may deviate on a night that Harden is off out of necessity, the Russ that’s been playing the last 4 games has been the Russ we probably ALL want to see !! I was harsh on him a few games back because he was frustrating as hell to watch since we know he can play smarter than that. It would appear someone got in his ear thankfully !!
He’s had a good 4 game stretch. It’s killing me to see that he could still be WAY more effecient if he would just stop taking shots outside of the paint. Last night he was 3-9 shooting outside the paint. Meaning he could have went 6 for 9 instead of 9 for 18. I won’t be happy with Russ until he gets his TS% to 55 (league average, he’s currently at 50) and A/TO ratio 2-1. I’m highly doubtful he can accomplish those averages for the season, but if MDA/Harden can convince him to change his game to stop shooting jumpers, to focus on passing without turning it over, to focus on boards and D, maybe we can pull it off.
I generally agree with this, but also don't expect him to try to drive to the rim literally every single time. It's taxing on the body. I'm ok with him shooting wide open 3s off the catch, I think he can make enough of them to keep the defense honest and space the floor a bit. But the general idea is good yeah, still a bit too many mid range shots which are stifling his efficiency. Would like to see him reduce his shot attempts even further but at the time time I feel like that's probably not gonna happen. At least he's headed in the right direction which is great.
you guys are putting too much emphasis on what russell westbtook does. 9-18 is fine. we scored 130 points in regulation FFS
Well I've seen a few games now where Russ has performed admirably in the final minutes of games, including last night's game in Boston. Opening up the lane has done wonders for him... Really encouraging for the playoffs!
