PLAYER PREVIEW #1: RUSSELL WESTBROOK
Certainly one of the most surprising drafts of 2008. The sophomore played only 9 minutes a game as a freshman but saw his minutes dramatically increase in his second season at UCLA to 33.8 MPG. Sam Presti was clearly hot on him well before the draft occurred and appeared poised to make some last minute moves for a lower draft pick in order to draft Westbrook at a more appropriate selection. None of the discussions or last minute wheeling and dealing materialized so Westbrook was taken at the 4. The Supersonics (now Thunder) GM was put under much scrutiny on the National level due to his selection. Some even castrated the selection as "the worst pick in the draft" due to its' height in the draft. Most of the heat came because of the obvious pass over of Jarred ******* who slipped all the way to #11.
The question marks on Presti's selection lightened after a strong performance by Westbrook in the Orlando Summer League. Put back dunks, strong defensive play, and intelligent decision making excited the fans and media in Oklahoma who saw the first pieces of their team materialize as the team trotted out in generic "Oklahoma City Basketball" jerseys. The only cause for concern visible in Westbrook's summer league performance was his tendency to over dribble which could have been largely due to the lack of talent his surrounding team possessed.
Things seemed good in 'thunder land' until Jarred ******* stepped on the court in the Vegas Summer League. Out shining Westbrook's performance on nearly all accounts, scoring record numbers and winning the L's MVP. In the end the heat surrounding the selection died down when everyone realized it was Summer League action and Nate Robinson was the reigning MVP (who's Jersey was crudely stapled to the wall in honor of his accomplishments).
STRENGTHS: Westbrook is an Athlete, which will be good for the Thunder since their most athletically gifted player (Mason) is on the downside of his career. His first step will burn you, and his wingspan and hand size is impressive considering his 6'3" frame. He can defend (with excellence) both the 1 and 2 positions which is the predominant reason he was drafted. Most excitingly too me is his upside, willingness to be a team/role player, and big game energy.
WEAKNESSES: Mainly all of the question marks. Is he a true point guard? When (not if) he's played at the 2 alongside Earl at the point, will he be big enough to play against the regular SG's in the L? Are his ball-handling skills anywhere near where they need to be to compete well with other PG's? Is he going to develop into a starter? Will the fans/media/management give him the time needed to develop into the starter we need? Will his awful shooting mechanics affect his ability to remain competitive? Can he run an offense in the halfcourt when he so clearly seems to prefer a hi-tempo game?
In the end Westbrook's first 2 years in the league will be judged on three accounts: First his ability to run an offense efficiently enough to make OKC fans momentarily forget about the joy that was watching CP3 as a youngster, second to play on a consistently higher level than Jarred *******, and third whether or not he gets the appropriate playing time behind Earl Watson (particularly in his Rookie year). All three are possible but not easy. Thankfully Durant will take the majority of fan and press scrutiny meaning Westbrook won't have to live up to Paul like standards (which are ridiculously hi in the first place). As long as the offense remains efficient with few mistakes he'll be able to avoid trade talks and criticism (for the most part). The Portland Trailblazers are deep at their guard positions, so ******* likely won't get enough playing time in his rookie year to prove how good he is. So the big question will be playing time. Will PJ find that clean balance of giving a rookie PG room to develop without expecting too much from him by throwing him to the wolves.
Obviously, as much of the burden for success will lie publicly with Durant, privately our future is largely in the hands of Russell Westbrook. His ability to develop into a floor general may determine our competitiveness over the next 10 years.
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Originally Posted by okcnba
