Russell Westbrook is a lot of things. He is one of the most physically gifted basketball players of all time. He is a record breaker. He is the leader and the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The one thing Russell Westbrook never is, according to the man himself, is never wrong.
The lack of self-awareness Russell Westbrook has is leaking into every aspect of his life. The latest examples include his ongoing refusal to answer questions from Berry Tramel. Also, his decision-making during the Thunder’s playoff series loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The refusal to answer a post-game question from a reporter is not wrong. Most post-game questions don’t add much. They are just words to connect to moments in a game.
Westbrook’s approach to this ongoing feud has been wrong though. It is never a good look for a superstar to be snippy on camera toward someone just doing their job.
You can find other reporters, besides Tramel, that Westbrook does not get along with. Also, tweets of reporters who said he was rude to them in person.
Westbrook being a “jerk” to reporters doesn’t really matter. It does show a glimpse into his brain. Russell Westbrook never sees his decisions as the problem. It is always the actions of others who are the problem.
After the Blazers beat the Thunder, Westbrook has said he needs to improve his shooting. Which is true, Westbrook shot poorly during that series. He shooting 36.3 percent from the field and 29 percent from 3-point range.
We have known for years Westbrook is a poor shooter. He is a career 30 percent 3-point shooter but averaged almost seven 3-point attempts per game against the Blazers.
So why is he taking that shot? Why can’t he say I shouldn’t be taking these shots? Why is he wasting possessions using one of his sub-par skills? Why didn’t he continue to look for other guys? He passed the ball well during the series, averaging 10.6 assists per game.
It seems Westbrook just wants to be the guy who makes it happen. Instead of being the guy who finds the guy who can make it happen.
We have seen this before with Westbrook when Kevin Durant was in OKC. Countless times in the playoffs you saw Kevin Durant’s hand up on the wing only to watch Westbrook pull up from mid-range or dribble into traffic.
This eventually led to another moment where Westbrook felt he was in the right. When Durant finally left for Golden State, it was Durant who was to blame.
Upon leaving, Durant didn’t say anything bad about Westbrook or the Thunder. Instead, Durant said Westbrook was like his brother.
In becoming the go-to man in OKC, Westbrook became a triple-double machine. In that time, though, OKC has had very little playoff success. In fact, OKC is 4-12 in the playoffs since Kevin Durant left.
Maybe it is time for Russell Westbrook to look inward and realize it might be time to change the way he plays. There is that classic saying “it must get boring never being wrong.”