The book has been written on WESTBROOK, its been finished and published for a long time. A walking highlight reel, stat-sheet stuffer & overly obsesses with himself and his numbers. Way too selfish to ever win a chip & its a shame since he has played with several great players in his career. Just look at the boatload of criticism he had during the 2012 finals. Magic called him "the worst point guard in nba finals history" + he hasn't changed his game at all, that just sums it up
As a big Westbrook fan for the past 3 years. Dude's been playing really bad lately and he needs to pull it together and win for the sake of his reputation. If he can't win with durant, and now pg and melo. It's not gonna look good for his all time status
Thanongrit Suriyarungka oh I know. This okc team is also gonna look really bad for melo. The excuse for melos losing for like 4 years has been his teammates. Well now he has good teammates and isn't winning. I think hes just going through a slump tho. Has to reduce the Isos and increase the off ball movement
I had this conversation with a good friend and had trouble putting my finger on the issue. Makes a lot of sense. I never noticed Westbrooks lack of off ball movement before. Great video Mark!
I really agree with this. I can't tell you how many times I've watched Thunder games and just saw a completely stagnant offense. Its insane because they have so much talent but there is hardly any off ball movement. With Westbrook on the court with no ball its like having 4 players on the court. Add that to Roberson being a offensive liability then its like having 3, but at least Roberson can make a backdoor cut every so often. Another problem I see with this offense is that Russ is the only one who ever brings it up the court. And a lot of people will say its because that's how he gets into transition and can score easy baskets but there are many times where they give him the ball and he just walks up the court. It just goes to show how little they trust anyone else to bring the ball up other than Russ. For example, when they inbound the ball to George or anyone else they'll immediately defer to Westbrook and he'll just simply walk it up and set up the offense. One more thing that I've noticed is the type of plays they run. Its literally Westbrook & Adams Pick and Roll. Every. Single. Time. And you know you might say well if its not broken, don't fix it but the problem lies in the fact that there are many times where it doesn't work. Westbrook runs a PNR will Adams, they cut him off and he passes it out. He calls for the ball again and they literally do the same PNR again. Westbrook will then force up some crazy shot and that's how at least 30% of OKC's possessions go. Look, I'm a big Westbrook fan, but I'm also a realist. There are many times where their offense just doesn't work. Its too clunky, too disorganized and too stagnant. Yeah, some of the examples I pulled were exaggerations but, you really get to see how disorganized this offense has been. I really enjoy watching them play but I really want them to win too. And there has to be some changes.
i respect he fact that you put your time into this and i really like what you have to say but at the same time damn bruh thats kinda a lot to put on a damn youtube comment
I think they defer to Westbrook because when he doesn't have the ball, he does nothing, and as you've pointed out with Roberson out there as well it's like playing 3 on 5.
This is absolutely right. Westbrook would be an excellent off cutter if he knew how to. The NBA and the media is general needs to stop praising him so much, ever since he’s been getting triple doubles and won MVP, it’s like he dosen’t care about anything other than chasing stats. Tries to do everything. He was a much more efficient player when he was the secondary option on a team.
his career high efficiency? Are you talking about true shooting? FG%? 3 pt%? Efficiency isn't only jump-shooting you ignoramus. His turn over numbers were much better in 2015-2016, and he was shooting better from the field by a massive amount, it was his 3 pt shot that wasn't falling, which still isn't and never has.
+TheTinyTimmyTimTim True Shot percentage, which is the most accurate way of assessing overall efficiency over the course of a season. Also, last year was his career high in 3-point and free throw percentage. And no, it isn't just jumpshooting, it also includes dunks/layups and freethrows.
good video , westbrook needs to work on his offball movement. I think the another problem is that westbrook, melo and pg all attempt bad shots a lot of times. they need to cut that out.
Everything you said was 100% accurate. Its just annoying when you find someone who just looks at stats and just watches highlights and never even watches a Thunder game and will call him the MVP and best PG in the league. Personally I think he is more of a liability to have as of right now, but he could work on it
Quentin McDonald I still think he was MVP last year. He was more efficient (tho not great) and was hitting clutch shots and putting up classic performances like crazy. And his team was winning more than they shouldve
I used to think he was a great team player because of his high number of assists. But as I've been watching more of the Thunder game this year... I'm starting to see why people call him a "ball hog".. He has high assists because he holds onto the ball until he finds the OPEN man. No ball movement, no passing around to other players to move the ball around.
Pure Luminous yes that's what they need put Westbrook with someone like greg popobich who treats every player the same that's what they need Westbrook can t be taken more than 30 shots a game
Sreekar Vishwanathan Is that an effect of leaving Westbrook? Look, I’m a massive Thunder fan and KD will always be my favorite PLAYER in the league (even if he snaked) but that seems like an effect of having the combined scoring power of Curry and Klay and having to do less, meaning he could work more on D. Again, Defense is to me an effort based skill, which KD I guess worked on to try and fit in at Oakland.
Rishab Prakash it somewhat is because Durant was stuck carrying the offence because Westbrook makes terrible plays. Due to this Durant couldn’t put as much of an effort on defence
This is why Harden should've become MVP last season but nah everyone couldn't stop talking about the stat padded triple doubles or feeling bad for him cos KD left to the enemy
Harden knew how to trust his teammates and made everyone better (Brodie almost killed dipo's career and value, meanwhile harden resurrected rhyno's and Gordon's, career, and made capela a playoff caliber starting big man). Also better offensive player and much higher IQ, the only knock on harden is and will always be effort, and even then he is simply better.
Media loves box stats and headlines like "Triple Double", easy to understand, easy to drill home. Harden's MVP case needed a lot more explanation. But I'm surprised that the journalists who vote for MVP took the bait. I've honestly never seen an MVP display how basketball should not be played until 2017 Russell Westbrook.
Puck exactly, and people have the nerve to say his MVP season was one of the best of all time, or even that it was better than Curry’s 2015-16 MVP season, which it very clearly wasn’t. Low efficiency, didn’t make teammates better, stat-padded rebounds, highest usage rate of all time, didn’t carry team past expectations (they were projected to finish 6th seed before season, Rockets were projected 11th)... the list goes on and on. Harden should have won no question.
Bout time someone pointed out russ people need to stop blaming melo and George. Btw guys we still have a chance to be one of the best teams of all times so Stayme7o and thunder up
I respectfully disagree, here's why: I've watched a Thunder game or two and have seen what they do off the ball. You usually see George coming off off-ball screens trying to get mid-range jumpers. You can also find him standing still sometimes, but that's more justified due to 43% from 3. Melo is not having a great year from 3. Part of it is the shots he's getting. Many people came into this year expecting Olympic Melo (great off-ball shooter and beat people on quick isolations during closeouts). However, Melo is not getting the same shots. Westbrook is literally standing still with his hands on his knees *two steps out* from the top of the key. Paul George tries to create offense, but Westbrooks man just helps and he's standing there. When Paul George drives to Westbrook's side, Westbrook still stands still, and his man can freely reach. At least when Westbrook drives George moves to the top. Here's how clutch time works in OKC: Give Westbrook the ball Adams sets a screen Everyone stands still ...... Now, MDJ was slightly harsh. I think more blame should go to Donavon. However, out of the big three, Westbrook should get most of the blame for not creating proper offense for his teammates. He won't even allow them to create offense for him. *Westbrook stands still with his hands on his knees* BBall fans: *TRIGGERED*
thunder nation He has been playing that role right from the start, but the shots weren't just falling. Fortunately, I'm hoping that he already did figure out what was wrong with his shot.
Finally someone is talking about this. If you've been to multiple okc games, you'd eventually realize Russel's horrible of the ball movement. Also he's choking up shots and passes again -_- smh
_kyle26_ I agree but some had west>harden is what I’m saying despite it being obvious it’s been the other way around. But now what I’m saying is even they should be rethinking that conclusion
Russell Westbrook's biggest problem is he doesn't play point guard. He doesn't create easy shots for anyone. He also shoots too much and he is not a good 3 point shooter. As much as he penetrates he should be a much better passer than he is. The biggest problem is last season's triple doubles.
David Moore he has no facilitating/ play making skills. Once she rolls around and his athleticism burns away. He just won't have any of the skills that a veteran point guard needs.
He is really a SG back in the early okc days but he needs to facilitate for the team since he has the ball most of the time. I said it before that the biggest difference between harden near triple double and WB triple double is that effort. Harden 3double comes naturally but WB's 3double is forced. WB doesn't have an amazing passing skills nor great court vision as harden has. And the difference between their high TO's are also visible, harden TO the ball frequently because he pass more, his passes are more difficult, and sometimes it's anticipated. On the other hand, WB TO the ball usually on bad passes, making them flashy, and just a poor decision and forced.
Pure fax bro my favourite current player is westbrook but from watching thunder games its obvious his lack of off ball movement is really hurting their offense
Russell Goatbrook westbrook averaged 10 apg in his mvp season and he was the biggest ball hog in the nba last year so lots of assists doesn't mean you're not shooting alot
@@MrZahsome thank you, the people that say "he can't be a ballhog" he gets 10 assists a game, are clearly Stat watchers and don't watch the games. You can get a lot of assists and still be a ballhog, Russell passes FOR the assist, not within the flow of the offense, check out the game against the suns where Russell needed 1 more assist for a triple double, and he repeatedly forced passes to teammates to try to get number 10. It gets annoying when people don't know shit about basketball but think they do
This is precisely the reason why I always say Curry is a better player than Westbrook. The Warriors didn't win the championship last year because their team was more stacked than the Thunder was back when they made the finals in 2012. They won the championship last year because Curry is an unselfish, compatible player. A lot of people talk about how much Curry's numbers have dropped over the past 2 years. Well, no shit. What did you expect was gonna happen? He even said he's willing to put his numbers and personal stats aside for the good of the team. And when it came time, the Warriors went on an 11 game winning streak without KD because Curry allowed himself to step back into that ball dominant role. This is a concept that has completely alluded Westbrook for the entirety of his career. Curry has the incredibly underrated ability to make his teammates better. An ability that I believe all great point guards should have if they ever wanna be in the conversation for best point guard of all time. It's an ability that players like Magic Johnson, Chris Paul, and John Stockton all have. But Westbrook on the contrary, doesn't. That's why the Warriors won and the Thunder didn't. That's why KD left in the first place.
Correct and Underrated. Ppl don't know how to rate player anymore (or anything else) they just care about numbers. Life took a hit when things got basic
Fantastic video. The only thing I could add is that Westbrook has every physical tool to be a fantastic defensive player. That leads back to his mental errors but the ability is there. Switch John Wall and Russell Westbrook and the Thunder would be the 4 seed IMO and would stand a chance against the Warriors and Rockets
Erik Lerström The Harden doesn’t play defense thing is old news. The Rockets have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and he’s actually trying on defense. You know who does try on D? Russel Westbrook
Erik Lerström KD running to GS doesn’t diminish his skills or talent. You can call him a coward but that doesn’t take away his skills and ability as a future top 15 player of all time. Harden has been playing good defense this year and is currently playing at an all time great mvp level right now
harden is redeeming himself this year; I think he made the right decisions and remember he carried the offense seasons before; now plays better defense than westbrook; he elevates his game in clutch actually when hes not as exhausted as someone playing basketball 24/7
Russ has the talent but he's not as talented as Harden or KD . His Basketball IQ is horrible . He doesn't run the plays drawn up , doesn't switch on PNR and is an above average shooter who Jacks up 20 shots a game .
But peoples we a triple double and proclaim Westbrook the best pg in the league. Mdj is spot on. I've been saying this for years. Until Russell's basketball IQ matches his athleticism Okc will never be a good team
theyve been a contender in spite of Westbrook's bball iq and decision making. His overwhelming athleticism and talent compensates, but he will never reach his full potential until he learns. They've been a contender because KD was there also(i'd argue more so KD(and Harden) than Russ)
Aung Myat Min Bro if you saw how many turnovers he had regardless of his trip dub season last year its literally hair pulling. Pointless plays. I’m pretty sure one game he had like 7 or 8 TOS
'Big Threes' just don't work for everyone. Okc's big three with westbrook didn't work before so I'm not sure why they thought it would now. Honestly it just doesn't look like the pieces fit, and melo and russ don't look like they'd sacrifice their game this far into their career.
I leave pretty much all of your videos saying "Jesus, this guying is Fing Good." I say the same thing every time. Love the videos I wish you great success. Alex
As you were going through big threes I noted that all of their best players were incredibly high IQ players, even before you got into the IQ of Westbrook I knew that's what this was going to be. Possibly the dumbest Superstar to ever play in the league (which should show you his wasted talent that he has)
Westbrook is everything you do not want your point guard to be. The only thing he has is freakish athleticism, which he does not even maximise as he chooses not to defend so he can grab rebounds, and as you've highlighted is not active at all off ball.
been missing you for a while now G. i think the difference between mj's and kobe's killer instinct is that they know when to take over a game and they have the focus to be able to do it. westbrook has the skills to be able to take over games, but ive seen him try to when his team is winning by 10 in the third quarter. theres no real desire and heart or motivation when youre already winning, thats basic sports psychology. when kobe's lakers in the late 2000's were winning by the 2nd half, he didnt take over for fun he let his team keep playing because it was leading to wins. he only took over when they started losing or already were.
Agree with mostly everything .... But yall cant deny the fact that he plays his heart out at all times and is a freak of nature. Still one of the best players in the league and has room to improve
Anyone ever realize his teammates become better once they leave and great players suck when playing with him. KD got a chip, Oladipo is carrying Indiana on his back to the playoffs, Kanter is beasting in the paint and McDermott is raining 3s in the Big Apple. Poor Melo became downright mediocre and PG became so desinterested he didn't even tell OKC he wants to stay past the deadline and is a shadow of his Indiana self. Westbrook sadly makes his teammates worse.
true. melo started off with 6 consecutive 20 plus points game, the only thunder player to ever do that. his average was 24pts at one point, the highest for okc at the time. then everything changed. i hope pg leaves, and i hope melo can find a home for the remainder of his career.
Discovering you late, but I'll comment anyway. I'm in the same boat. I love Russ. I think he's a great dude and it's fun to watch a player go 110% all the time, but on court he is such a bonehead and I hate it. I think he'd really benefit from slowing down a bit and learning to play off the ball. And this season has definitely proven Carmelo is a bench player. The Thunder offense was stagnant enough, but goddamn when Carmelo had it it was painful to see just how stagnant it could get. He'd just sit there and do his jab step bs for 5 seconds before bricking a shot. I think he deserves more of the blame pie than you gave him.
Your offball analysis of Westbrooks game is spot.on. Ive always thought Westbrook would be better off playing SG as I consider him elite in that position because his decision making and unwillingness to share the ball as a PG is whats keeping him and the team from reaching its full potential.
Thunder Fan here. Love your vids man. The key for Thunder is ball movement offense and cutting back on iso play. That can be Westbrook off the ball as you are saying but more likely with him as primary ball handler with Melo and PG as spot up shooters in the offensive flow. Better offensive rebounding comes from ball movement offense setup and keeps secondary players as threats to score easy buckets.
Kobe welcomed Pau Gasol when he first started as a Lakers by setting him up almost the entire game. Scored like 10 that night. Kobe trusts teammates who are good or playing with intensity.
I’ve said this on numerous occasions. He doesn’t play defense or set off screen picks or just move the damn ball instead of looking for the assist. He could be sooo much better. This is his biggest challenge and when or if he figures it out, he will breakthrough. Great video
Fantastic video bro... Thought this topic was getting oversaturated on UA-cam but you brought great insight to the discussion and presented it well, couldn't stop watching!
Westbrook needs to take smarter shots, you can't be a PG and shoot below 43% and average 5 turnovers, melo needs to put his ego aside and come off the bench, Pg-13 keep doing what he does and okc will be fine
He’s hopeless... Someone in that organization needs to hold him accountable and stop letting him get away with this. He needs a strong minded coach who will make him listen. Melo and PG should also be asking better of him.
I'm not a Thunder fan, not even close, but for their own well being, they should blow up the roster by trading all three of Melo, Russ and PG and anyone else expensie. They're not going to win big and it's obvious. Melo is getting to be over his hill, PG isn't staying around for long and Russ is not willing to work in a real offense with him being a second fiddle and he's not nearly good enough at leading a team. Doesn't cut, doesn't shoot well, isn't a really good passer, just made dump off passes anyone could have made last year, doesn't play great defense. the guy isn't elite except at being athletically gifted and at being a really bad in game decision maker.
Well, I think it might be difficult, but I think they could find some dumb GM to take him on. Look at the terrible things GM's have done. The Nets Celtics trade, Noah's current contract, the Steve Nash Lakers contract which should have been clear it was a bad contract going into it. Those are just some examples.
They are a small market team and Westbrook is a superstar. He keeps them relevant and in the news, as well as selling revenue and merchandise. The thunder are the only professional sports team in Oklahoma and for a small market to have such a player is huge. They are just going to have to live with him. Big stars don't want to play or stay in small markets anymore because the chances of winning a championship are nearly impossible and they're dead end places to live.
@blesses he doesn't understand that the nba is a business. he thinks like a lot of ignorant people that it's all about winning a championship. well the knicks haven't won one in a long time, and their tickets are the most expensive in the nba.
I hope Westbrook sees this video because you're absolutely right. If he learns how to play off ball, he would be more efficient, be easier to play with, and would help his team win more games. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to watch Westbrook standing 30 feet from the basket when he could be relocating to get himself into a better position to score. If he doesn't learn how to get easier looks for himself, I don't think it'd be crazy to say that his production will drop off significantly as his athleticism declines (because those crazy tough shots he's used to hitting will be that much crazier and that much tougher without his speed and verticality).
Wow ok that actually made alot of sense and since this upload they all have gotten stuff together sorta. Westbrook still got tunnel vision but there working on it. Subbed btw
The only thing he has over Curry is athleticism. Curry’s a better shooter, a better finisher, a smarter player, a smarter defender, a better teammate, a smarter passer, and has more accolades. Westbrook also chokes more than Curry does in the playoffs
Hey MDJ! love the content, i completely agreed with this video, and think that with westbrick's current play style, i dont see him being the best player on a championship team. possible video ideas: denver nuggets offense with nikola jokic, or a video on sam hinkie and his influence in the world of basketball analytics. i know you made a video on sam hinkie's tenure as the 76ers gm, but I was wondering since you are a big analytics fan and sam hinkie is known for adopting/revolutionizing basketbal analytics, if you could cover content along the lines of some of his university lectures. keep up the videos, love your channel!
I think I have to agree with everything that you said in this video. All these Westbrook fans just look at his ppg and his stat line and base everything off of that. I'm glad you finally are pointing this stuff out.
This team just doesn’t work. The worst most ball dominant combination of players came together. The only way to fix this is change the rotations for a shot or blow up the team. The team would be so much better if Starters Brodie Abrines PG13 Patterson Adams Bench Felton Roberson Melo Grant Huestis They also have a coach that’s not willing to change as well and stop this “They’ll gel eventually” and Please don’t use Houston as a example of “ball dominant” players working out. CP3 and Harden are the most selfless players in the league and these three are not.
Beating Westbrook doesn't matter , the only three teams that matter are the Warriors, Cavs, and the Spurs if harden can knock out one of those teams then I won't see him as a 6th man who was overpaid by a desperate Rockets team .
This is my take on OKC"s situation. Heavily opinion-based, which I don't do too often on this channel. What are your thoughts?
-Marc
MDJ I’m a thunder fan and I completely agree with your opinions. Hopefully someone from the thunder can see this 😌
MDJ whose better him or curry in your opinion
It‘s really true that Westbrook has a low Basketball IQ that‘s one of the reason why KD left him high and dry
MDJ you smart af
The book has been written on WESTBROOK, its been finished and published for a long time. A walking highlight reel, stat-sheet stuffer & overly obsesses with himself and his numbers. Way too selfish to ever win a chip & its a shame since he has played with several great players in his career. Just look at the boatload of criticism he had during the 2012 finals. Magic called him "the worst point guard in nba finals history" + he hasn't changed his game at all, that just sums it up
Damn low key thunder need to watch this at training haha
Okc 0137 High Key
I think they did, 107-79
Okc 0137 W
patricio iglesias mainly cuz their defense but yeah
Yall niggas need to watch the OKC games instead of these wack ass youtube analysis
Jesus that was a truth bomb.
As a big Westbrook fan for the past 3 years. Dude's been playing really bad lately and he needs to pull it together and win for the sake of his reputation. If he can't win with durant, and now pg and melo. It's not gonna look good for his all time status
Rusty Buckets u the first not brain dead Westbrook fan. Respect you
That's true but for melo is even worse
Thanongrit Suriyarungka oh I know. This okc team is also gonna look really bad for melo. The excuse for melos losing for like 4 years has been his teammates. Well now he has good teammates and isn't winning. I think hes just going through a slump tho. Has to reduce the Isos and increase the off ball movement
love your videos man
Bandwagon fan.
Now that i think about it i have never seen russ do a pick lol
TheH00k Up he probably has but he prolly was dribbling the ball and setting one 😂
😂😂
Guards typically don’t set picks for other guards
#Dubnation Yes they do the time. Are you even a GS fan? At least watch some games.
Mark Martir I’m talking about on ball screens dumbass. I didn’t think about off ball screens. So su
I had this conversation with a good friend and had trouble putting my finger on the issue. Makes a lot of sense. I never noticed Westbrooks lack of off ball movement before. Great video Mark!
I have before this video
I really agree with this. I can't tell you how many times I've watched Thunder games and just saw a completely stagnant offense. Its insane because they have so much talent but there is hardly any off ball movement. With Westbrook on the court with no ball its like having 4 players on the court. Add that to Roberson being a offensive liability then its like having 3, but at least Roberson can make a backdoor cut every so often.
Another problem I see with this offense is that Russ is the only one who ever brings it up the court. And a lot of people will say its because that's how he gets into transition and can score easy baskets but there are many times where they give him the ball and he just walks up the court. It just goes to show how little they trust anyone else to bring the ball up other than Russ. For example, when they inbound the ball to George or anyone else they'll immediately defer to Westbrook and he'll just simply walk it up and set up the offense.
One more thing that I've noticed is the type of plays they run. Its literally Westbrook & Adams Pick and Roll. Every. Single. Time. And you know you might say well if its not broken, don't fix it but the problem lies in the fact that there are many times where it doesn't work. Westbrook runs a PNR will Adams, they cut him off and he passes it out. He calls for the ball again and they literally do the same PNR again. Westbrook will then force up some crazy shot and that's how at least 30% of OKC's possessions go.
Look, I'm a big Westbrook fan, but I'm also a realist. There are many times where their offense just doesn't work. Its too clunky, too disorganized and too stagnant. Yeah, some of the examples I pulled were exaggerations but, you really get to see how disorganized this offense has been. I really enjoy watching them play but I really want them to win too. And there has to be some changes.
i respect he fact that you put your time into this and i really like what you have to say but at the same time damn bruh thats kinda a lot to put on a damn youtube comment
Sometimes you just get heated man lol
I think they defer to Westbrook because when he doesn't have the ball, he does nothing, and as you've pointed out with Roberson out there as well it's like playing 3 on 5.
Roberson is underrated to me. He is their ball movement in their offense and their best defensive player.
This is absolutely right. Westbrook would be an excellent off cutter if he knew how to. The NBA and the media is general needs to stop praising him so much, ever since he’s been getting triple doubles and won MVP, it’s like he dosen’t care about anything other than chasing stats. Tries to do everything. He was a much more efficient player when he was the secondary option on a team.
VASTOR he shot 10/13 last night tho... with 1 turnover... melo and george went for 5/12 each.. the fuck are you people talking about?
TheTinyTimmyTimTim and without Mitchell lmao
What bullshit. Westbrook tied his career-high efficiency last year as 1st-option.
his career high efficiency? Are you talking about true shooting? FG%? 3 pt%? Efficiency isn't only jump-shooting you ignoramus. His turn over numbers were much better in 2015-2016, and he was shooting better from the field by a massive amount, it was his 3 pt shot that wasn't falling, which still isn't and never has.
+TheTinyTimmyTimTim True Shot percentage, which is the most accurate way of assessing overall efficiency over the course of a season. Also, last year was his career high in 3-point and free throw percentage. And no, it isn't just jumpshooting, it also includes dunks/layups and freethrows.
good video , westbrook needs to work on his offball movement. I think the another problem is that westbrook, melo and pg all attempt bad shots a lot of times. they need to cut that out.
Simple: shot selection. His decision making is a problem. Sometimes I don't even know what he is doing on the court
Everything you said was 100% accurate. Its just annoying when you find someone who just looks at stats and just watches highlights and never even watches a Thunder game and will call him the MVP and best PG in the league. Personally I think he is more of a liability to have as of right now, but he could work on it
Quentin McDonald I still think he was MVP last year. He was more efficient (tho not great) and was hitting clutch shots and putting up classic performances like crazy. And his team was winning more than they shouldve
I used to think he was a great team player because of his high number of assists. But as I've been watching more of the Thunder game this year... I'm starting to see why people call him a "ball hog".. He has high assists because he holds onto the ball until he finds the OPEN man. No ball movement, no passing around to other players to move the ball around.
watched the game last night, dude played like an mvp to me
Quentin McDonald they still need a better coach. Someone that will stand up to westbrook
Pure Luminous yes that's what they need put Westbrook with someone like greg popobich who treats every player the same that's what they need Westbrook can t be taken more than 30 shots a game
Somewhere, KD really is laughing. No wonder other people who have left OKC (KD, Harden, Oladipo, Sabonis, etc.) have improved dramatically.
TC Productions KD improved DRAMATICALLY!?!?! Higher FG% on LESS shots isn't dramatic improvement. It's not improvement at all
Victor Payment Defensively, he has improved greatly
Sreekar Vishwanathan Is that an effect of leaving Westbrook? Look, I’m a massive Thunder fan and KD will always be my favorite PLAYER in the league (even if he snaked) but that seems like an effect of having the combined scoring power of Curry and Klay and having to do less, meaning he could work more on D.
Again, Defense is to me an effort based skill, which KD I guess worked on to try and fit in at Oakland.
Rishab Prakash it somewhat is because Durant was stuck carrying the offence because Westbrook makes terrible plays. Due to this Durant couldn’t put as much of an effort on defence
Also Reggie Jackson
This is why Harden should've become MVP last season but nah everyone couldn't stop talking about the stat padded triple doubles or feeling bad for him cos KD left to the enemy
Harden knew how to trust his teammates and made everyone better (Brodie almost killed dipo's career and value, meanwhile harden resurrected rhyno's and Gordon's, career, and made capela a playoff caliber starting big man).
Also better offensive player and much higher IQ, the only knock on harden is and will always be effort, and even then he is simply better.
when most of houston's offensive effort is flowing through harden itll be hard to net get tired for defense
Brandon Martin not even top 20 sit the fuck up😂😂😂😂😂😂
Media loves box stats and headlines like "Triple Double", easy to understand, easy to drill home. Harden's MVP case needed a lot more explanation. But I'm surprised that the journalists who vote for MVP took the bait. I've honestly never seen an MVP display how basketball should not be played until 2017 Russell Westbrook.
Puck exactly, and people have the nerve to say his MVP season was one of the best of all time, or even that it was better than Curry’s 2015-16 MVP season, which it very clearly wasn’t. Low efficiency, didn’t make teammates better, stat-padded rebounds, highest usage rate of all time, didn’t carry team past expectations (they were projected to finish 6th seed before season, Rockets were projected 11th)... the list goes on and on. Harden should have won no question.
Spot on👌🏿 Westbrook is an amazing player just needs to make smarter decisions
Someone send this to Billy Donovan rn
Devon Clark Iam praying Westbrook watching this
100% right coming from an okc fan
ZaTiger 28 Ik it’s actual criticism other than blaming Melo or Billy Donovan
A Russell fan that's not brain dead?😲
Bout time someone pointed out russ people need to stop blaming melo and George. Btw guys we still have a chance to be one of the best teams of all times so Stayme7o and thunder up
The Hip-hop Underworld You’re a stubborn bitch, get the fuck out of MDJ’s comments.
I respectfully disagree, here's why:
I've watched a Thunder game or two and have seen what they do off the ball.
You usually see George coming off off-ball screens trying to get mid-range jumpers. You can also find him standing still sometimes, but that's more justified due to 43% from 3.
Melo is not having a great year from 3. Part of it is the shots he's getting. Many people came into this year expecting Olympic Melo (great off-ball shooter and beat people on quick isolations during closeouts). However, Melo is not getting the same shots.
Westbrook is literally standing still with his hands on his knees *two steps out* from the top of the key. Paul George tries to create offense, but Westbrooks man just helps and he's standing there. When Paul George drives to Westbrook's side, Westbrook still stands still, and his man can freely reach. At least when Westbrook drives George moves to the top.
Here's how clutch time works in OKC:
Give Westbrook the ball
Adams sets a screen
Everyone stands still
......
Now, MDJ was slightly harsh. I think more blame should go to Donavon. However, out of the big three, Westbrook should get most of the blame for not creating proper offense for his teammates. He won't even allow them to create offense for him.
*Westbrook stands still with his hands on his knees*
BBall fans: *TRIGGERED*
???????????? ??????????? Actually now that Melo decided to play the catch and shoot role the Thunder have been on a 5 game streak
thunder nation He has been playing that role right from the start, but the shots weren't just falling. Fortunately, I'm hoping that he already did figure out what was wrong with his shot.
???????????? ??????????? Of all time? Bruh you have serious illusions of grandeur.b
Great video. your analyses are always well thought out. I value your opinion a lot on nba topics.
Finally someone is talking about this. If you've been to multiple okc games, you'd eventually realize Russel's horrible of the ball movement. Also he's choking up shots and passes again -_- smh
I tried to tell people that this is why KD left okc.
Opinion based video, but VERY well thought out, fair, and TRUE analysis.
Westbrook and Melo both epitomize what doesn't win championships, so glad they're not holding players like kd porzingis oladipo back anymore
OneHandClap they never had KP
Anonymous Wrong Melo had KP
Black sports online O I thought you meant okc
Anonymous Nah he meant Westbrook and Melo not OKC.
Now they holdin pg back tho hes def gone after this year
Tbh might have to say KD>Harden>West at this point
Dumbbells Only that's been true since harden left okc. it's nothing new, westbrook has never been on harden and kd's level.
_kyle26_ I agree but some had west>harden is what I’m saying despite it being obvious it’s been the other way around. But now what I’m saying is even they should be rethinking that conclusion
Westbrook is not in the same class as hardem and KD. And trust me I love Russ but its the truth
Hendrik Füllgraf he frustrates me as a nba fan... has enough talents and and al that just no IQ
Dumbbells Only hmm I wouldnt even say no IQ cause he has shown to be able to play smart at times, but unfortunately not on a consistent basis
Russell Westbrook's biggest problem is he doesn't play point guard. He doesn't create easy shots for anyone. He also shoots too much and he is not a good 3 point shooter. As much as he penetrates he should be a much better passer than he is. The biggest problem is last season's triple doubles.
David Moore he has no facilitating/ play making skills. Once she rolls around and his athleticism burns away. He just won't have any of the skills that a veteran point guard needs.
He makes Adams a positive offensive player tbh. By giving him open dunks and floaters
He is really a SG back in the early okc days but he needs to facilitate for the team since he has the ball most of the time. I said it before that the biggest difference between harden near triple double and WB triple double is that effort. Harden 3double comes naturally but WB's 3double is forced. WB doesn't have an amazing passing skills nor great court vision as harden has. And the difference between their high TO's are also visible, harden TO the ball frequently because he pass more, his passes are more difficult, and sometimes it's anticipated. On the other hand, WB TO the ball usually on bad passes, making them flashy, and just a poor decision and forced.
Yeah the fact he attempts so many threes and is not a good shooter is a killer not even just the attempts it's the type of shots he takes
Shrimp Pork You got that 100%
What does Westbrook do without the ball? That's a trick question. Westbrook always has the ball.
Pure fax bro my favourite current player is westbrook but from watching thunder games its obvious his lack of off ball movement is really hurting their offense
"OKC Blame Pie" *Im dead*
2/3 players are selfish... that doesn’t work
Pekilla Melo duh dude neverrrrrrr wants to share,he's a 6 y.o old in the body of a 30 y.o
Avery Bradley’s Son 1 is a little bit and that's Carmelo. Westbrook is averaging like 10 assists a game
Russell Goatbrook westbrook averaged 10 apg in his mvp season and he was the biggest ball hog in the nba last year so lots of assists doesn't mean you're not shooting alot
@@MrZahsome thank you, the people that say "he can't be a ballhog" he gets 10 assists a game, are clearly Stat watchers and don't watch the games. You can get a lot of assists and still be a ballhog, Russell passes FOR the assist, not within the flow of the offense, check out the game against the suns where Russell needed 1 more assist for a triple double, and he repeatedly forced passes to teammates to try to get number 10. It gets annoying when people don't know shit about basketball but think they do
This is precisely the reason why I always say Curry is a better player than Westbrook. The Warriors didn't win the championship last year because their team was more stacked than the Thunder was back when they made the finals in 2012. They won the championship last year because Curry is an unselfish, compatible player. A lot of people talk about how much Curry's numbers have dropped over the past 2 years. Well, no shit. What did you expect was gonna happen? He even said he's willing to put his numbers and personal stats aside for the good of the team. And when it came time, the Warriors went on an 11 game winning streak without KD because Curry allowed himself to step back into that ball dominant role. This is a concept that has completely alluded Westbrook for the entirety of his career. Curry has the incredibly underrated ability to make his teammates better. An ability that I believe all great point guards should have if they ever wanna be in the conversation for best point guard of all time. It's an ability that players like Magic Johnson, Chris Paul, and John Stockton all have. But Westbrook on the contrary, doesn't. That's why the Warriors won and the Thunder didn't. That's why KD left in the first place.
feed the hot hand, feed melo
PG13 is actually the best player in that team
ChroLLO LuCiLFer L
ChroLLO LuCiLFer facts
Best player for the team
Correct and Underrated. Ppl don't know how to rate player anymore (or anything else) they just care about numbers. Life took a hit when things got basic
and steven adams goes second, lol
Fantastic video. The only thing I could add is that Westbrook has every physical tool to be a fantastic defensive player. That leads back to his mental errors but the ability is there.
Switch John Wall and Russell Westbrook and the Thunder would be the 4 seed IMO and would stand a chance against the Warriors and Rockets
pls make more videos idk why but i find you so much more entertaining than other nba youtubers
KD > Harden > Westbrook .
That's all i gotta say 🤷🏽♂️
Erik Lerström The Harden doesn’t play defense thing is old news. The Rockets have one of the best defenses in the NBA, and he’s actually trying on defense. You know who does try on D? Russel Westbrook
Erik Lerström KD running to GS doesn’t diminish his skills or talent. You can call him a coward but that doesn’t take away his skills and ability as a future top 15 player of all time. Harden has been playing good defense this year and is currently playing at an all time great mvp level right now
harden is redeeming himself this year; I think he made the right decisions and remember he carried the offense seasons before; now plays better defense than westbrook; he elevates his game in clutch actually when hes not as exhausted as someone playing basketball 24/7
Erik Lerström everyone in this comment section making u look stupid for what u just said 😂😂😂😂😂
Russ has the talent but he's not as talented as Harden or KD . His Basketball IQ is horrible . He doesn't run the plays drawn up , doesn't switch on PNR and is an above average shooter who Jacks up 20 shots a game .
Tis video spit so many facts, it's unreal
If Westbrook had the ball on defense he’d be the best defender in the league
Ledgnr197gaming but he is at second on steals
hahahahahah
Theyve won 11 of their last 13 and have beaten Houston and GSW, I think they're figuring it out.
Gmac They won't win more games than last year, so no
But peoples we a triple double and proclaim Westbrook the best pg in the league. Mdj is spot on. I've been saying this for years. Until Russell's basketball IQ matches his athleticism Okc will never be a good team
OKC has been a championship contender for a long time soooo...
theyve been a contender in spite of Westbrook's bball iq and decision making. His overwhelming athleticism and talent compensates, but he will never reach his full potential until he learns. They've been a contender because KD was there also(i'd argue more so KD(and Harden) than Russ)
He would need to be Gregg Popovich smart
russ is overrated until he fixes his iq and leadership and also improve that bad shooting percentage
Angus Robinson that's one game
Its not about his shooting but his selection dude just chuck up shots like its hot
Bruh what abt last year then
Aung Myat Min Bro if you saw how many turnovers he had regardless of his trip dub season last year its literally hair pulling. Pointless plays. I’m pretty sure one game he had like 7 or 8 TOS
Such an excellent analysis.
You got yourself a new subsciber, buddy.
Your best video yet. Keep it up
Nice Video
Like how you posted it the Thunder went 107 -79 with the Jazz.
'Big Threes' just don't work for everyone. Okc's big three with westbrook didn't work before so I'm not sure why they thought it would now.
Honestly it just doesn't look like the pieces fit, and melo and russ don't look like they'd sacrifice their game this far into their career.
This video reminds me of my starting point guard on my basketball team
I leave pretty much all of your videos saying "Jesus, this guying is Fing Good." I say the same thing every time. Love the videos I wish you great success.
Alex
As you were going through big threes I noted that all of their best players were incredibly high IQ players, even before you got into the IQ of Westbrook I knew that's what this was going to be. Possibly the dumbest Superstar to ever play in the league (which should show you his wasted talent that he has)
Erik Lerström ya if anything Westbrook is one of the smartest players off the court I mean he almost got accepted into Stanford
Westbrook is everything you do not want your point guard to be. The only thing he has is freakish athleticism, which he does not even maximise as he chooses not to defend so he can grab rebounds, and as you've highlighted is not active at all off ball.
Puck he is like that superhero everyone loves to watch lol
been missing you for a while now G. i think the difference between mj's and kobe's killer instinct is that they know when to take over a game and they have the focus to be able to do it. westbrook has the skills to be able to take over games, but ive seen him try to when his team is winning by 10 in the third quarter. theres no real desire and heart or motivation when youre already winning, thats basic sports psychology. when kobe's lakers in the late 2000's were winning by the 2nd half, he didnt take over for fun he let his team keep playing because it was leading to wins. he only took over when they started losing or already were.
handbanana5555 they also have the ability to make jump shots (and very tough ones at that) at a very high and consistent level. Westbrook does not
yes!
Lemme save u time... Westbrook isn’t cutting
Vamp Axis 😂 he not
HE NEEDS TO GO BACK TO BEING A FAST PACE PLAYER. HE'S MOST EFFICIENT WHEN PLAYING AT A QUICK PACE. Sorry for the Caps guys
Melo's too old to play fast plus playing faster may harm their defense which is the only thing keeping them from the bottom of the conference.
Agree with mostly everything .... But yall cant deny the fact that he plays his heart out at all times and is a freak of nature. Still one of the best players in the league and has room to improve
Trent Middlebrough no one denied that
Plays his heart out on offense
That doesnt matter a single fuck if hes "playing his heart out" and making terrible decisions CONSTANTLY
He plays his heart out when he has the ball. Other than that he just kinda stands around hoping to snatch a rebound away from Adams.
Anyone ever realize his teammates become better once they leave and great players suck when playing with him. KD got a chip, Oladipo is carrying Indiana on his back to the playoffs, Kanter is beasting in the paint and McDermott is raining 3s in the Big Apple. Poor Melo became downright mediocre and PG became so desinterested he didn't even tell OKC he wants to stay past the deadline and is a shadow of his Indiana self. Westbrook sadly makes his teammates worse.
true. melo started off with 6 consecutive 20 plus points game, the only thunder player to ever do that. his average was 24pts at one point, the highest for okc at the time. then everything changed. i hope pg leaves, and i hope melo can find a home for the remainder of his career.
Westbrook needs to watch this ASAP
He needs to stick to penetrating to get a rhythm. A Westbrook Three can be as cringy as a Danielle Bregolli
Spot on analysis. Everybody talks about "ball movement", but not everybody understands that "ball movement" starts with "people movement".
Discovering you late, but I'll comment anyway. I'm in the same boat. I love Russ. I think he's a great dude and it's fun to watch a player go 110% all the time, but on court he is such a bonehead and I hate it. I think he'd really benefit from slowing down a bit and learning to play off the ball.
And this season has definitely proven Carmelo is a bench player. The Thunder offense was stagnant enough, but goddamn when Carmelo had it it was painful to see just how stagnant it could get. He'd just sit there and do his jab step bs for 5 seconds before bricking a shot. I think he deserves more of the blame pie than you gave him.
Your offball analysis of Westbrooks game is spot.on. Ive always thought Westbrook would be better off playing SG as I consider him elite in that position because his decision making and unwillingness to share the ball as a PG is whats keeping him and the team from reaching its full potential.
Bballbreakdown revealed this.
cutting backdoor is a play design you learnt as a kid
He is just trying to meet the warriors in the first round they say lol
Thunder Fan here. Love your vids man. The key for Thunder is ball movement offense and cutting back on iso play. That can be Westbrook off the ball as you are saying but more likely with him as primary ball handler with Melo and PG as spot up shooters in the offensive flow. Better offensive rebounding comes from ball movement offense setup and keeps secondary players as threats to score easy buckets.
Kobe trusting his teammates...haha that’s a good one
Kobe welcomed Pau Gasol when he first started as a Lakers by setting him up almost the entire game. Scored like 10 that night. Kobe trusts teammates who are good or playing with intensity.
BALL MOVEMENT. That's all they need to do and that is on the whole team and coaching staff but mostly Westbrook
Russ will never win with the way he plays
Fire content as usual!! Couldn’t agree more🔥🔥 I wish you upload more often!!!😥
Keep it up, Marc!
Westbrook plays Hero ball which doesn't work in the modern NBA
I knew a video was coming after all them swish factor posts 😂
Spot on
I’ve said this on numerous occasions. He doesn’t play defense or set off screen picks or just move the damn ball instead of looking for the assist. He could be sooo much better. This is his biggest challenge and when or if he figures it out, he will breakthrough. Great video
100% Faxs
Your videos are insane. Amazing production and analysis throughout, if only you weren't so busy.
Didnt the heat when they first got together have some problems?
Yeh but hasnt lasted as long as this OKC stint
Westbrook doesn’t have anywhere NEAR the basketball IQ of LeBron, and I don’t see Melo taking the backseat like Bosh did.
Love your videos man, I've been here for quite a long time. You've always been my fav NBA youtuber, always had the best analyses
Have not even watched the vid yet and i know this has got to be about his off ball movement lmaooo.
Mrcastro312 ya wrong
Little Kyd Across The Street merry Xmas little guy
Atleast the game against the Jazz was a good sign for the future, and Westbrook shot 77%
Agree
Fantastic video bro... Thought this topic was getting oversaturated on UA-cam but you brought great insight to the discussion and presented it well, couldn't stop watching!
Westbrook needs to take smarter shots, you can't be a PG and shoot below 43% and average 5 turnovers, melo needs to put his ego aside and come off the bench, Pg-13 keep doing what he does and okc will be fine
Pg gotta shoot better they all shoot terrible and having career lows luckily they play elite defense.
He’s hopeless... Someone in that organization needs to hold him accountable and stop letting him get away with this. He needs a strong minded coach who will make him listen. Melo and PG should also be asking better of him.
MDJ da GOAT!
Mark, love your videos. Keep up the great work!
I see you with the 40 second ending screen to get the 10 minute video... Make the cash flow Mark lol
Oh shit that was an accident in the editing process. I don't run mid-video ads generally.... thanks for spotting lol
I was just joking, love the video. :)
Hey, I’m a bigass OKC Fan and even BIGGER RUSSELL WESTBROOK Fan. And I agree with u 100%, I appreciate how hard u work man. Keep it up 👏🤝
Sam Presti is the only one to blame. You knew that there was only one ball and only one melo. Now you cant fix it or trade him
Man, you were absolutely on point here.
I would enjoy watching OKC be all it can be, but you got some great thoughts.
I'm not a Thunder fan, not even close, but for their own well being, they should blow up the roster by trading all three of Melo, Russ and PG and anyone else expensie. They're not going to win big and it's obvious. Melo is getting to be over his hill, PG isn't staying around for long and Russ is not willing to work in a real offense with him being a second fiddle and he's not nearly good enough at leading a team. Doesn't cut, doesn't shoot well, isn't a really good passer, just made dump off passes anyone could have made last year, doesn't play great defense. the guy isn't elite except at being athletically gifted and at being a really bad in game decision maker.
Well, I think it might be difficult, but I think they could find some dumb GM to take him on. Look at the terrible things GM's have done. The Nets Celtics trade, Noah's current contract, the Steve Nash Lakers contract which should have been clear it was a bad contract going into it. Those are just some examples.
They are a small market team and Westbrook is a superstar. He keeps them relevant and in the news, as well as selling revenue and merchandise. The thunder are the only professional sports team in Oklahoma and for a small market to have such a player is huge. They are just going to have to live with him. Big stars don't want to play or stay in small markets anymore because the chances of winning a championship are nearly impossible and they're dead end places to live.
They just signed Russ to a huge extension he isn't going anywhere. OKC is a small market it would be dumb to blow up the roster they can win now.
@blesses he doesn't understand that the nba is a business. he thinks like a lot of ignorant people that it's all about winning a championship. well the knicks haven't won one in a long time, and their tickets are the most expensive in the nba.
I hope Westbrook sees this video because you're absolutely right. If he learns how to play off ball, he would be more efficient, be easier to play with, and would help his team win more games. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to watch Westbrook standing 30 feet from the basket when he could be relocating to get himself into a better position to score. If he doesn't learn how to get easier looks for himself, I don't think it'd be crazy to say that his production will drop off significantly as his athleticism declines (because those crazy tough shots he's used to hitting will be that much crazier and that much tougher without his speed and verticality).
Preach !
Wow ok that actually made alot of sense and since this upload they all have gotten stuff together sorta. Westbrook still got tunnel vision but there working on it. Subbed btw
and some say he is better than Curry xD
Ibnziyad Tariq he is
The only thing he has over Curry is athleticism. Curry’s a better shooter, a better finisher, a smarter player, a smarter defender, a better teammate, a smarter passer, and has more accolades. Westbrook also chokes more than Curry does in the playoffs
Joshua Hart your an idiot, what is wrong with you
Mathew Garcia well what's your argument then, you can't just call someone an idiot without any counter argument
Jasper Schoenmaker shut up bitch I’m not even talking to your dumb ass
Facts! I've been saying this for the longest time. I don't think I've ever seen westbrook set a screen for anyone before
Westbrook is good but his style of play can’t win championships
W Scharroo that's not true he just needs to adjust some things
Dude he hasn’t adjusted anything in years and it doesn’t matter what talent the thunder put around him.
Hey MDJ! love the content, i completely agreed with this video, and think that with westbrick's current play style, i dont see him being the best player on a championship team. possible video ideas: denver nuggets offense with nikola jokic, or a video on sam hinkie and his influence in the world of basketball analytics. i know you made a video on sam hinkie's tenure as the 76ers gm, but I was wondering since you are a big analytics fan and sam hinkie is known for adopting/revolutionizing basketbal analytics, if you could cover content along the lines of some of his university lectures. keep up the videos, love your channel!
overrated stat padder who hogs the ball, makes terrible decisions, and plays 0 defense #facts
Hector Zeroni Reigning mvp***
MyNameIsJeff 2621 lol you mean the one he didn't actually deserve?
How do you average 32 11 10 and "not deserve" mvp, especially while bringing a team of scrubs to the playoffs. Sad
MyNameIsJeff 2621 As well as
5.4 Turnovers a game
42.5% field goal percentage on 24 attempts a game
34% three point percentage on 7 attempts a game
Lavar Ball So? Less TOS than harden, on slightly worse shooting. The mvp vote was not close, so you guys have no argument.
During the 15-16 playoffs and possibly the season as the Warriors were playing OKC, you can see the Thunder arguing with each other
Kobe and Mj trusting their teammates? Lol maybe later on in their career, but early in their career they where known ballhogs
deonta thomas it’s not that they didn’t trust them, it was more that they wanted to take everything upon themselves
deonta thomas Because they were young. Westbrook is at his prime and has no excuses.
He did say that Kobe and MJ eventually had to trust their team mates in order to win.
deonta thomas phil jackson said one of the main differences between the 2 was mj trusted his teammates a lot more than kobe did
I think I have to agree with everything that you said in this video. All these Westbrook fans just look at his ppg and his stat line and base everything off of that. I'm glad you finally are pointing this stuff out.
This team just doesn’t work. The worst most ball dominant combination of players came together. The only way to fix this is change the rotations for a shot or blow up the team. The team would be so much better if
Starters
Brodie
Abrines
PG13
Patterson
Adams
Bench
Felton
Roberson
Melo
Grant
Huestis
They also have a coach that’s not willing to change as well and stop this “They’ll gel eventually” and Please don’t use Houston as a example of “ball dominant” players working out. CP3 and Harden are the most selfless players in the league and these three are not.
Thomas Elliott no how about we leave it like it is right now and our mvp westbrook learns to play off ball and how not to average 5 turnovers.
nailed it! I would love to see a compilation of him ignoring drawn up plays though too...
Harden should have been MVP last year
chocked against San Antonio last year
relies too much on drawing fouls. He was and always will be a great 6th man.
r villa Well Westbrook Choked in the 2016 West Conference Finals along with KD
yeah i agree I'm not a fan of Westbrook
either
Honestly just give the mvp
to LeBron
I mean the whole league revolves around him
r villa MVP was decided before the playoffs. Plus the choker beat Westbrook in 5
Beating Westbrook doesn't matter , the only three teams that matter are the Warriors, Cavs, and the Spurs
if harden can knock out one of those teams
then I won't see him as a 6th man
who was overpaid by a desperate Rockets team .
This was some high quality production