NBA Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook Is Runaway Early-Season NBA MVP

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By @DSchultz89

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One of the most polarizing players in the NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook is already making a strong case for why he should be the MVP of the league.

Westbrook showcased his talent once again in stunning fashion on Christmas Day, as he single-handedly eviscerated the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on their home court on his way to 34 points and 11 assists. Through a variety of contested jump shots and aggressive attacks to the rim, Westbrook was a force that simply could not be contained by a very good defensive team in the Spurs. The Thunder, who were without the league MVP in Kevin Durant, looked confident thanks to Westbrook’s energy. Quite simply, ever since Westbrook has returned to the lineup after sitting out the first month due to a hand injury, the Thunder are a completely different team.

Granted, there will be some people who hate Westbrook no matter what he does. If he has the occasional bad game people will once again claim “he shoots too much” and that he is trying to be “the man” of his team instead of letting Durant take the most shots. However, Durant has repeatedly demonstrated his trust and confidence in Westbrook, and given the humble nature we have seen many times from Durant, there is no indication whatsoever that a rift exists between the two. This slight against Westbrook has been false from day one, but it makes for an interesting angle for the media given how different these guys are in terms of their personalities.

It is very early into the new season, but so far, Westbrook is the clear favorite for MVP if the award was to be given out today. Just look at how bad the Thunder were without him and Durant, sinking all the way to the bottom of the Western Conference standings and looking utterly hopeless without their stars. Since Westbrook has returned to the lineup and Durant continues to battle injuries, the Thunder have gone 10-4. For the season, Westbrook is averaging 28.6 PPG, 7.4 APG, 5.8 APG and 2.2 SPG on 47 percent shooting from the field.

While some analysts will undoubtedly make a case for Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, I think Westbrook means the most to his team out of the three when you look at the respective rosters. The Warriors would probably still be playing very good basketball if Curry missed a few games, given the talent on their team and new head coach Steve Kerr’s highly efficient offensive playbook. And, while he might still be the best player in the world, if James missed some time I believe the Cavaliers would still be a good team because Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are more than capable of picking up the slack.

Given how intense the West is right now, I am not sure how good the Thunder would be with just Durant and say, Reggie Jackson playing point guard. I think they would be a late seed to fringe lottery team. Westbrook provides them with an extra gear of intensity that they need to become a legitimate threat for a championship. After making the NBA Finals in 2012 and falling short to the Miami Heat, the Thunder missed Westbrook desperately after he went down with a knee injury during the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs. While the Thunder were still able to win their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, they were handled by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round and sent home in shocking fashion.

Also, this is not meant to sound like I am dismissing the importance of Durant. He was the league MVP for a reason last season, and the Thunder still need him just as much as they need Westbrook. But given just how well Westbrook is playing and the fact that he just led this team past the defending champions, he has to be the clear front-runner for MVP right now.

A lot can change over the course of the season, but Westbrook continues to up his game and show us that there just might not be any ceiling whatsoever to his fearlessness or passionate love for the game of basketball.

And that has to be absolutely terrifying for the rest of the league.

Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google

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