Thunder-Lakers
Russell Westbrook and the Thunder play host to the Lakers at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Russell Westbrook’s explosiveness caught UCLA point guard Jaylen Hands by surprise.
Hands knew about it in theory. He had watched the Thunder point guard on TV for years. But staring Westbrook in the face that summer day, close enough to count the beads of sweat on his forehead, Hands could feel the power behind each step.
Hands and his teammates had gone to the UCLA practice gym, with its court named after Westbrook, to watch the former Bruin and his pickup team. The outing ended with Hands playing Westbrook one-onone.
“It’s way different than a TV screen,” Hands told The Oklahoman.
Those infamous pickup runs at UCLA are one way Westbrook remains tied to his alma mater. The practice floor, which the school announced would bear Westbrook’s name after he made the largest donation by a former UCLA men’s basketball player back in 2015, is another.
“He stays connected to those he loves,” said Mississippi State coach Ben Howland, who coached Westbrook at UCLA, “and obviously he loved UCLA.”
Then there are more subtle connections. A one-on-one game with a rising UCLA sophomore, for instance.
“It’s important,” Westbrook said, “just so he’s able to understand the game, understand what it takes to get to the level he wants to get to. Ultimately his goal is to play in the NBA. And obviously I went there (to UCLA), so me being able to see him, see his growth, is good to see.”
The nickname “Baby
Westbrook,” has begun to attach itself to Hands. The two are both point guards from Southern California who earned starting roles early in their UCLA careers. Hands insists the comparisons stop there.
“He plays the way he plays, I play the way I play,” Hands said.
But Westbrook can see it.
“A lot of similarities to my game when I was younger, honestly,” Westbrook said. “Him just being aggressive and find(ing) ways to impact the game.”
Hands doesn’t remember watching Westbrook much at UCLA. The 2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year was drafted after his sophomore year, when Hands was 9 years old. Hands grew up a Kobe Bryant fan, but as he got older he began to latch onto NBA players that he could learn from. Westbrook was one of them.
Now an every day starter for UCLA, Hands is going through the growing pains of molding his game. He isn’t necessarily trying to become a pass-first point guard, Hands said, but he does want to make better decisions in the paint.
“I think I draw a lot of people when I drive,” Hands said, “so if the right decision is to pass, pass. If the right decision is to go up and shoot, go up and shoot.”
Sound familiar? As Westbrook’s own game has evolved this season, the Thunder has found offensive success in touching the paint. OKC has the worst 3-point shooting percentage in the league (32.8 percent), but when Westbrook can drive and kick a pass out to Jerami Grant in the corner or Paul George on the wing, the team looks a lot better from beyond the arc.
Westbrook is sure to pull out something similar against the Lakers and another UCLA product, Lonzo Ball, Thursday night.
As for the results of the one-on-one matchup between Hands and Westbrook, Hands said he’d rather keep that behind closed doors.
“It was hard,” he said. “I’ll say that. It was very challenging.”