Russell Westbrook Beginning to Redefine His Point Guard Reputation

The refrains were common, and they were loud. Russell Westbrook doesn't pass. Russell Westbrook is a ball hog. Russell Westbrook is too selfish down the stretch. Russell Westbrook doesn't play an efficient brand of ball.

You can now consider those takes a thing of the past—pieces of a narrative that have died since Russell Westbrook took over as the Oklahoma City Thunder's alpha dog with Kevin Durant sidelined due to a sprained right ankle.Westbrook had been on a tear, but his individual rampage evolved into something outrageous on Christmas Day in the Thunder's 114-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

In 35 minutes, Westbrook finished with 34 points (14-of-28 shooting), 11 assists, five rebounds and five steals. According to Basketball-Reference.com, a line consisting of at least 30 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and five steals has now cropped up just 38 times since 1985 after Westbrook's tantalizing display.

It is also the first time in his career that Westbrook has produced a 30-10-5-5 line and just the 13th time he dropped 30 points and 10 assists in a regular-season game, per Basketball-ReferenceAt one point, it felt like we had to question if the Thunder would be able to crash the NBA's postseason party. Now, thanks to Westbrook, it's simply a matter of when. 

Following Oklahoma City's win over San Antonio (its first on the road against a .500 team this season, per ESPN Stats & Info), the Thunder (14-16) are now just two games back of the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns.

But this rapid renaissance wouldn't have been possible without a reformed Westbrook.Although he's still playing as angry as ever, Oklahoma City's floor general has redefined what makes him so dangerous.

Remember those refrains of selfishness? Well, entering Thursday's contest, Westbrook's assist percentage clocked in at an unthinkable 49.9, per Basketball-Reference. Essentially, that means Westbrook is assisting on nearly half of Oklahoma City's buckets when he's on the floor.

Not since Steve Nash in 2011-12 has a player qualified for the league's minutes leaderboard and finished with an assist percentage higher than 49. In fact, only six players (Nash, Andre Miller, Chris Paul, Magic Johnson, John Stockton and Rajon Rondo) in league history have accomplished the feat, according to Basketball-Reference.

For a supposed score-first point guard, that's not bad company to keep. Even if it is only temporary. When he is scoring, though, Westbrook's shown a relentless determination to bolt past defenders and get below the free-throw line with an eye on the rim.


Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2310609-russell-westbrook-beginning-to-redefine-his-point-guard-reputation