On 14 December 2021, Stephen Curry made his 2,974th career three-pointer to surpass Ray Allen for the most in NBA history. His team, the Golden State Warriors, sit atop the Western Conference and with a returning Klay Thompson it appears they are looking to re-establish their earlier dominance. Meanwhile, just a few hours south of San Francisco, Lebron James is feeling the pressure. Having just turned thirty-seven and in his nineteenth NBA season, Lebron knows his time is coming to an end. Although Lebron is still putting up sensational numbers, he knows he can no longer carry a team like in Cleveland and Miami. During the summer, irresponsible NBA analysts were lauding the Lakers for adding star point guard Russell Westbrook to alleviate Lebron’s burden. In hindsight, the Lakers made a fatal mistake.
Westbrook was a star coming out of UCLA. His athleticism has made him one of the most dynamic guards in NBA history. He made his only Finals appearance with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012, losing to the Lebron-led Heat. Along with Kevin Durant, the pair formed a dynamic duo that was a perennial contender in the West. However, in the 2016 off-season, Durant decided to leave Westbrook and the Thunder to join Curry and the Warriors. Durant was heavily criticized for joining the team that had just eliminated the Thunder in the Conference Finals, leaving Westbrook to fend for himself. Westbrook saw Durant’s departure as a slight, and in 2017, averaged a triple-double to win his first regular season MVP. He is only the second player to ever average a triple-double in the regular season. But since that 2017 season, Westbrook was traded multiple times and had become polarizing.
Since the MVP season, Westbrook has been in a self-inflicted decline. From his media interviews and on-court performance, it appears that Westbrook does not care about winning. His defenders will argue that he plays hard and always gives it his all, but playing hard does not necessarily equate to winning. Westbrook is seemingly obsessed with triple-doubles, as the media established the mystique of the triple-double during his 2017 MVP season. But concurrently, Curry and Durant were winning championships while Westbrook was getting his triple-double and losing in the first round. Westbrook has shown that he is not willing to sacrifice his statistics nor his style of play to achieve team success. The Thunder literally designed their defensive schemes so that Westbrook could boost his defensive rebounding numbers.
Westbrook also plays with an uncontrolled fervor no matter the situation. This mindset attracts his most ardent fans, and also his most ardent haters. Westbrook has no awareness for what is appropriate for certain in-game situations. When the worst thing to do is to drive the ball, he will drive. He will take awful shots and force terrible three-point attempts. Since his MVP season, Westbrook has shot just below 30 per cent from three compared to 35 per cent in his MVP season. The league average in 2020-2021 was 37 per cent. Since his MVP season, Westbrook has averaged nearly five turnovers a game, alternating with James Harden in leading the league. Westbrook wants the ball in his hands for his triple-doubles. He will likely never win a championship with that style of basketball. Lack of teammates is no excuse—Westbrook has played with Durant, Harden, Oladipo, Sabonis, George, Anthony, Beal, and now Davis and Lebron.
The Lakers are reeling. Lebron is too old to simultaneously carry an offensive and defensive load, often ignoring his defensive duties. Westbrook plays no defense as his attention is focused on how to position himself to get defensive rebounds for his triple-double. He has a career 1.76/1 assist/turnover ratio and shoots an abysmal 65 per cent from the free throw line. His shot selection includes taking terrible mid-range jumpers or contested drives to the rim. The shooting woes have even resulted in the nickname “Westbrick.” While his defenders argue that Davis is injured and the Lakers need time to gel, these numbers represent a continuous decline from his MVP season. Why has he not changed? Westbrook is notoriously stubborn; a perfect example is what Westbrook recently said in a media session after a Christmas Day loss to the Nets: How fans expected him to average 25-15-15, despite it not being realistic. This statement lays bare his glaring flaws. Yes, Westbrook plays really hard, but give me the player who plays smart any day of the week.