By this point of the NBA Playoffs, it has been widely publicized that Russell Westbrook has not had his best performance. He has struggled to shoot thus far and the Thunder are on the brink of elimination as a result.
While he has certainly not played well, some are wondering if his struggles will impact his overall legacy. Last week, Zach Lowe of ESPN said Westbrook has to start winning to validate his place in NBA history.
On Monday, Chris Broussard of Fox Sports appeared on Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe. Broussard doesn’t believe Westbrook’s legacy will be impacted but, instead, his current place in the league.
He also believes Westbrook has slipped a little down the player rankings.
Where I think it is affecting him negatively is his current stature in the game. Damian Lillard is better than Westbrook. He is a better basketball player. Westbrook is a better athlete. He’s more of an explosive individual. … Steph [Curry], Damian, Kyrie [Irving], James Harden: They are better players, better point guards than Westbrook. Now, Westbrook is no longer going to be in the consideration of a top-five player in the league right now.
As it stands now, it may be hard to find many that firmly believe Westbrook should be ranked ahead of Curry, Lillard, Irving or Harden. While Westbrook has an ability to impact a game in a variety of ways, he has often become a liability on offense, given his inconsistent shooting.
Westbrook shot an efficient 11-of-22 from the field in Game 3 on Friday, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, but followed that up in Game 4 by going 5-of-21 from the field, and 0-of-7 in the second half. His inconsistencies have proven to be too much for the team to overcome.
In order for the Thunder to have a chance to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, Westbrook will need to be effective shooting the ball and there is no indication that will happen.
As a result, the season may very well be over for the Thunder.
