Russell Westbrook is the closest thing we have to an NBA amoeba. Even to fans, he’s like a Rorschach test; nobody is quite sure what they’re looking at. In his prime, he won the league’s MVP Award and averaged a triple-double over the course of an entire season.
But even then, Russ had his detractors. People wondered if his playstyle and absurdly high usage were conducive to winning at the highest level. As Westbrook has gotten older he has had even more trouble fitting in as part of a team concept.
He has bounced around the league the past few seasons, usually putting up stats and creating highlights, but quickly wearing out his welcome and refusing to adjust his game. At this point, he is what he is and he’s likely never going to change.
Even for the Nuggets, when Russ goes into the game, he is Russ. Some people might hear that and think of Westbrook’s contagious energy and athleticism. Others hear that and think of dreadful high-volume shooting and poor decisions.
Nobody would ever deny the supreme talents of Westbrook, nor his desire to win. But his shot selection, reckless nature, and decision-making outweigh the positive things he brings to the table in the eyes of many.
In some of his best games recently, it’s still fair to question whether he is bringing more to the table than he is taking off. His on/off numbers are consistently brutal and back up the premise that even when he’s scoring, he’s not really helping the team.
Westbrook has turned the Nuggets into the highest-volume free throw team in the NBA
However, there is one way that his utility to the Nuggets has been undeniable and that is generating free throw attempts. Last season, the Nuggets ranked 29th out of 30 teams in free throw attempts per game, getting up just 19.9 per game.
This season, through ten games, the Nuggets have vaulted all the way up to first in the entire league, shooting 28.3 attempts each game. That’s a ridiculous improvement and it can be mostly attributed to Westbrook.
His 4.7 attempts per game are second on the team, only to Nikola Jokic. But his frenetic pace and commitment to attacking the rim, both in the halfcourt and transition, is creating opportunities for himself and others.
It’s not always perfect, and it can border on out of control far too often for my liking. But the Nuggets had an issue last season generating free throw attempts - the easiest points in a basketball game. Going from second to last in the league to first is an incredible turnaround and even the staunches Westbrook-hater should be able to appreciate this.