When talking about the best guards in the game, Russell Westbrook has to be part of the conversation. As a multi-faceted guard, he has averaged 27.5 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists per game on 47.4% shooting during his tenure with Houston so far.
But, perhaps most impressively, is what he’s been able to do against the West’s other top teams this season. Against the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, Jazz, Thunder, Mavs, and Grizzlies, he has been nearly unstoppable.
Russell Westbrook’s averages vs west playoff teams this season:
LAL: 38.0 PPG|8.5 RPG|6.0 APG
LAC: 27.0 PPG|8.0 RPG|4.5 APG
DEN: 28.3 PPG|7.0 RPG|6.8 APG
UTA: 36.5 PPG|6.0 RPG|4.0 APG
OKC: 29.0 PPG|8.3 RPG|8.7 APG
DAL: 29.5 PPG|5.5 RPG|7.5 APG
MEM: 33.0 PPG|9.0 RPG|8.0 APG pic.twitter.com/4oOSs2bgen
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 5, 2020
Needless to say, the Rockets will be a problem in the West. With Westbrook and Harden’s performances, there is a real reason to consider them among the most elite squads in the NBA.
Unfortunately, not everyone is sold on their chances due to some of the unconventional they’ve taken this season. At the deadline, they traded their top center Clint Capela for a wing scorer, proving they were going all-in on small ball. Without a true center, there are concerns about how they will hold up against some of the bigger teams in the league.
But so long as Russ continues to blaze his current trail, they’ll be pretty hard to stop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpFw8zpaFV8
