mazyar

Russell Westbrook, elite PG?

Let's see: You've got Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, and Chauncy Billups. But who else would you put clearly ahead of him.

Jason Kidd at his age is only on par. Baron Davis is talented but not disciplined. Rajon Rondo is a smart PG who plays on a great team. Derrick Rose hasn't done anything special since the playoffs last year. Rose has also been on the radar since he entered college. IMO I don't see what makes Rose so much more special than Westbrook.

This leaves us with one PG that I haven't mentioned yet. That's Tony Parker who's been injured too much this seaon, but has clearly been a top tier PG in the past. And that's whom I think Westbrook compared to the best. Westbrook is like a bigger, much more athletic, and better defender version of Tony Parker. The only weakness in his game right now is his shooting. But remember, Parker was not a good shooting when he first game into the league either.

People need to be on watch for Westbrook, a Southern California native.

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mazyar

Hate to be the first one to reply to my own post, but I forgot to add his stat line for last night. Which is the reason why I decided to start this thread.

An almost 4x2

pts, assts, rbs, stls
21, 10, 7, 8

Previous game
26, 10 ,8

TSchmal

Russel saved me this week in fantasy, that's for sure.

A_3PO

Dead on. I've been talking about him for a while. He's not a traditional PG but something much more. To make the playoffs this year, the Thunder need Westbrook to consistently perform every game and stop the disappearing acts.

In the next couple of years, everybody will know who Russell Westbrook is. If he continues flirting with triple-doubles the rest of the season, they will learn his name much sooner. I don't know what's gotten into him the last 2 games but he's been a monster. He was the MVP in those games, not KD.

He worked hard on his shooting last summer and it's paid off, but he still has a ways to go.

If I had to compare him to someone well-known, it would be Rajan Rondo. But Westbrook is quicker, stronger with better hops and will eventually develop a reliable jumper. Rondo has better PG instincts but Westbrook has come a very long way in 1 1/2 NBA seasons in that regard.

Originally Posted by chenjy9 That's like telling Barkley to stop talking or eating or telling Dorsey to stop being stupid. T-Mac is T-Mac and he will never stop flapping his mouth.

rhino17

Westbrook is gonna be something special. I really like the way he has been playing this year.

mazyar

I guess you're right about the Rondo comparison. The scary thing is that you can combine what makes Rondo good and what make Parker good, put them together and you get Westbrook.

Yet Westbrook is going to be a much more physically dominent PG than Parker or Rondo. He is as quick as both of them but bigger. He's a better shooter than Rondo but doesn't have the instincs as Rondo like you said.

Shroopy2

I put him in an All Star consideration post the other day, right after Tony Parker.

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost....503&postcount=9

His shooting numbers still arent that good. He does get to the FT line as good as the top PGs. Raymond Felton actually found shooting touch this year, that bodes well for Westbrook. If/when he improves his shooting touch, he'll be dandy.

A_3PO

Westbrook also doesn't have Rondo's good judgment (I guess you can put that in the "instinct" category). But Westbrook's dumb mistakes have fallen like a stone. I had doubts last season whether he could make it as a full-time PG. This year, those doubts are totally gone. If he eliminates the disappearing acts the rest of the season, I'll be satisfied. He doesn't have to get a near triple-double every time but the Thunder need a minimum of about 15/7/5 from him to sneak into the playoffs.

If he makes the same leap of improvement next season as this season, it's gonna be fun.

Originally Posted by chenjy9 That's like telling Barkley to stop talking or eating or telling Dorsey to stop being stupid. T-Mac is T-Mac and he will never stop flapping his mouth.

adoo

he was always been a 2, until Darren Collision was injured in Westbrook's Soph year at UCLA, where, as a Freshman, he was a reserve shooting guard.

During that ~12 games stretch that collision was out, Westbrook showed that he has the goods to be a PG. once Collision was healed, Westbrook was returned to the 2 spot again.

Durring the NCAA Finals against Memphis, altho UCLA lost badly, Westbrook really showed his talent / athleticism / competitiveness to the whole basketball world. That showing catapaulted him to be drafted #3 overall, leapfrogging Kevin Love and OJ Majo, both of whom had received more hype

adoo

he was always been a 2, until Darren Collision was injured in Westbrook's Soph year at UCLA, where, as a Freshman, he was a reserve shooting guard and defensive specialist

During that ~12 games stretch that collision was out, Westbrook showed that he has the goods to be a PG. once Collision was healed, Westbrook was returned to the 2 spot again.

Durring the NCAA Finals against Memphis, altho UCLA lost badly, Westbrook really showed his talent / athleticism / competitiveness to the whole basketball world. That showing catapaulted him to be drafted #3 overall, leapfrogging Kevin Love and OJ Majo, both of whom had received more hype

he is only beginning to scrath the surface of his potential; the sky is the limit for this supremely athletic and completive pg

Seven

Yeah he's been awesome for me on my fantasy team, but his turnovers hurt, much like Monta Ellis. He's also a low percentage player. He could definitely get better though.

ryano2009

man this dude is special, give him 1 or 2 years and he'll be one of the top three PG in the NBA..

peleincubus

the thunder should sign lebron james

Melechesh

Westbrook has average handles for a PG. I'm not sold on him at all.

Landry92

I like Russell Westbrook I love his Midrange Jumper Calvin Murphy kind of shot and his starting to make a living on it .. he's been as consistent as it gets but sometimes he goes through brainfreezes ..

But I wouldnt compare him to Rose .. The Bulls have a good record in their last 10 and its all due to his improving form .. Rose is not much of a creater but more of a scorer .. he so athletic I think hes the best PG at getting to the rim ..

Clyde drexler = Dr.Julius Hibbert

number22

He can be elite but he must cut down on his turnovers first.

The_Yoyo

I LOVED watching Russell play at UCLA and knew he would be special.

the guy has been great this year but remember he is still learning the PG spot. Russell didnt play too much in his freshman season at UCLA and when he exploded his sophomore season it was a surprise to everyone.

Russell may not have even gone to UCLA he wasnt a highly recruited prospect at all and could have gone to a lower level school (i think he was close to going to Creighton) until Howland saw some of his play and offered him a scholarship at the very last minute.

kind of crazy considering how far he has come in the league. He is def one of my favorite players in the league and he probably can become a top 5 PG in the league has he keeps growing along with durant. Those TOs will drop as he becomes more comfortable running the point


Also a HUGE factor with Russell is that he is a good defender as well...Russell was the pac-10 defensive player of the year and would always take the toughest wing assignments at UCLA. He wont ever have the vision of Jason Kidd nor his handles but in terms of being a triple double threat and a great defender as Kidd was in his prime Russell has a chance to be similar to that

WhoMikeJames

He needs to increase that FG%. 40% isn't going to cut it for an elite PG.

A_3PO

Their starting backcourt of Westbrook and Sefolosha can be special on the defensive end. Then they have KD and Green, but who are both long and athletic and have improved this season on defense. During the 3rd quarters of some games and also late in the 4th quarters, their defense is so good it almost makes me laugh. The problem is they can't always clear the boards and teams get extra possessions. This, by itself, has cost them 3-4 games already this season.

Just imagine that foursome backed up by a shot-blocking, rebounding C. If Presti makes that happen over the summer, the Thunder will move from #4 to the #1 defense in the NBA. I am amazed that a team this young is so good on defense. The 2nd youngest team in the NBA is 4th in defensive FG%. I doubt that has ever happened before.

Originally Posted by chenjy9 That's like telling Barkley to stop talking or eating or telling Dorsey to stop being stupid. T-Mac is T-Mac and he will never stop flapping his mouth.