Westbrook is not looking ahead during rough December
Midway through December, Russell Westbrook and Paul George walked gingerly out of the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, the effects of a tiresome month that was just getting started.
In actuality, when George and Westbrook exited after a loss to the Pelicans, the Thunder was in the easier part of its 15-game December slate. Playing for the second time in three nights, at least the Thunder was in the same time zone.
The Thunder has had a grueling December, bouncing from time zone to time zone and playing multiple games in short windows of time. It’s had to have been particularly tough on Westbrook, but you won’t hear complaints from him.
Through that grind, Westbrook has occasionally leaned on humor. The 30-yearold leads the league in steals per game this month (3.4), yet made a joke at his own expense Thursday when asked how he anticipates taking the ball.
“A lot of times people are
really careless with the ball,” Westbrook said. “... as I know, (expletive).”
Westbrook also leads the league in turnovers per game (5.1) in December.
Both Thunder coach Billy Donovan and Westbrook have expressed little concern about Westbrook’s offense. Last season, coming off of a platelet rich plasma treatment that forced him to miss some of preseason camp, Westbrook didn’t hit his best month in field goal percentage until March.
“In all my talks with him, he’s fine,” Donovan said of Westbrook’s health and conditioning. “One thing that makes him really special is as the season unfolds — it is really mentally and physically grueling on those guys — he’s a guy that gets better and better.”
Starting Friday in Phoenix, the Thunder is in the closing stretch of its most road-heavy month of the season — 10 of 15 games away from Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder has gone 4-4 in road games this month despite Westbrook shooting just 37.2 percent from the field in those contests.
“It’s been hard,” Donovan said before Tuesday’s game against Houston, OKC’s third game in less than 72 hours. “We got dealt a pretty good hand as it relates to a lot of home games after starting off the first two games on the road in California, but this has been hard.”
It's been tougher with Westbrook's down shooting. Donovan has described Westbrook’s game as “choppy” to start the season, not meant as an insult, but the result of the guard missing eight games due to arthroscopic knee surgery and a left ankle sprain.
In his initial stretch back after missing two games, Westbrook’s shaky jump shot didn’t stop him from shooting 48.9 percent overall and getting to the rim. Since spraining his ankle Nov. 5 and missing six games, Westbrook has shot just 39.2 percent, with his 3-pointer attempts up from 2.9 per game to 5.2.
Because of his shooting woes, some of Westbrook’s circumstances have been overlooked: Two injuries. Twins born in November. Being away from family. Conceding touches to George in the Thunder’s offense.
Yet, even through a rocky start, Westbrook hasn’t looked ahead.
“The challenge is to (not) look ahead and do exactly what you did (the previous game),” said Westbrook about his approach in playing a cluster of games in a short period of time. "The challenge is to not do that. to be able to not go home and be like ‘Damn, we’ve got three games in four nights.
“The challenge is to take the day, play the game and move on to the next. That’s it.”