Nothing in sports is more unpredictable than Russell Westbrook. I don’t even mean on a game-to-game basis. I mean on a play-to-play basis. We know he’s a fantastic player. We know he has outrageous talent. We know he can lose control and self-destruct. We know he can take your breath away while simultaneously taking over a game.
What we don’t know, though, is how or when those things will happen, especially for the next month or so. That’s what makes watching him so addicting.
The Thunder’s previously consistent infrastructure has been shaken by a flurry of injuries, most notably to the league’s reigning MVP. Subtracting Kevin Durant is bad, but to make it way worse, the Thunder will travel with only nine healthy players for an opening back-to-back road trip against the Trail Blazers and Clippers. Here’s the Thunder’s complete bench for their first two games: Nick Collison, Kendrick Perkins, Sebastian Telfair and Lance Thomas, who only recently made the team off a training camp invite. That’s it.
Westbrook already had an incredible burden on him to carry a contender for a month without Durant. Now, at least to start the season, he has to do it relying on the likes of Andre Roberson and Perry Jones.
Durant took full advantage of a similar situation last season when Westbrook was out, putting together a historic January that catapulted him to his first MVP trophy. The way Durant went to another level while lifting his teammates to a higher place was downright religious. So there’s a natural expectation that Westbrook will take his turn and showcase his leadership chops.
But Westbrook’s situation is not at all equal to the one Durant was placed in last season. First, there is no sensible backup to slot into Durant’s role. When Westbrook was absent for 36 games, Reggie Jackson was able to somewhat mimic the All-Star point guard, at least to the degree the Thunder didn’t have to completely reinvent themselves. Second, Westbrook is going to start the season not just without Durant, but without Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and Anthony Morrow. So outside of Serge Ibaka his next top offensive threat is Collison, who averaged 4.2 points per game last season.
Undoubtedly, there will be a rush to judgment after the Thunder’s first game. If Westbrook struggles, the narrative will be ready to roll off the assembly line, pinning the blame on him and the fact he was unable to play the alpha role he presumptively has always wanted. That the pecking order between Westbrook and Durant has officially been established and emblematic ownership of the team cemented.
What’s important to remember, though, is this is just October. The games are no less important in a pure statistical manner, but with a wider lens, there’s plenty of time to recover. Durant will return and, assuming good future health, the Thunder will resume their place in the top tier of Western contenders. Regardless of how the Thunder fare in this short window, the Westbrook-Durant relationship is already on a solid foundation. There won’t be any hierarchical questions popping up.
In the meantime we’re going to watch an uncaged Westbrook, released on the court with instructions to only survive. He’s going to have to battle his own competitive instincts to assume all responsibility and attempt to score 80 of the team’s 90 points each night. At his core, Westbrook is a basketball Rambo, a maverick loner fully willing to go rogue when necessary. He relishes being told he can’t. It’s never about asking why; it’s always about asking why not. He’s said all the right things so far about playing as a team and just sticking to his job, but Westbrook is pretty good about saying things and doing other things. It’s not that he’s intent on ball-hogging for 38 minutes and ignoring teammates. It’s that his domineering gravitational pull can sometimes make it seem that way.
“It’s not about me. It’s about our team. I can’t win games by myself. I can’t do anything by myself,” Westbrook said. “I kind of want to take the attention off me and put it more on the team. Everybody keeps asking what I’m going to do and how I’m going to change. I think it’s more about our team and what we can do.”
The Thunder have spent the summer and training camp attempting to install a more socialistic offense, with increased movement, passing and spacing. All good things in theory, but let’s see what happens if Westbrook spends three quarters swinging passes around as the Thunder slip behind by double-digits. As if Westbrook isn’t going to bulldoze his way to the rim with straight-line drives the next 16 possessions.
That’s what we’re in for over the next four to six weeks as Durant recovers. Westbrook may put up five triple-doubles and average 28-8-8. Or he may shoot 34 percent from the field and turn it over six times a game. Or he may do both. He's a maniac with tunnel vision only for winning at all costs. With him backed into a corner, his survival instincts are about to kick into overdrive.
The Thunder are bound to struggle as they muddle their way through this rash of injuries. They’ve managed these kinds of situations before and have a system in place to persevere. They say this is just about an opportunity to get better, for others to develop and grow. But forget that. It’s about the full-on unfiltered Russell Westbrook Experience. It will be exciting, it will be terrifying, it will be thrilling, it will be horrifying, it will be exhilarating.
This is the Month of Westbrook. Embrace the chaos.