Russell Westbrook, OKC Thunder Desperately Need Help. Is Rudy Gay the Answer?

OKLAHOMA CITY—Russell Westbrook rose from his seat and prepared to face the media after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 115-110 overtime loss to the injury-depleted Indiana Pacers. The look on his face was equal parts exasperation and frustration, with perhaps a hint of exhaustion.

When Westbrook wants to dodge a particular topic, he’ll often Eurostep the question completely. He’s known to respond with an answer to a completely different question. On this night, Westbrook had something he wanted to get off his chest immediately.

“I was s—-y tonight, honestly,” Westbrook replied to a question of whether the ball just didn’t bounce the Thunder’s way late in the contest. “I could have done a lot of things better.”

Apparently that’s what a stat line of 31 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds looks like: a fecal word that rhymes with “city.”

He wasn’t merely being humble. Westbrook connected on only 13 of 34 shots and committed seven turnovers. One of those makes was a game-tying three-pointer to send the game into overtime, but one of those turnovers helped seal the game for Indiana.

It was just one game, but it’s an example of an ongoing trend this season. Westbrook’s teammates struggle to score, which causes the floor to shrink as the opposing defenses pack in. Westbrook feels the need to take matters into his own hands, resulting in an astounding yet flawed box score.

And yet the Thunder are 8-6 after Sunday night’s loss. The team is winning because of Westbrook, not in spite of him.

The pressure on the Oklahoma City star is only going to increase in the short term. Both of Westbrook’s backups are currently out with injuries. Cameron Payne is still recovering from an acute fracture in his right foot suffered in late September. Rookie Semaj Christon left Friday night’s game versus Brooklyn after slamming his head into Enes Kanter’s knee. He’s under the NBA’s concussion protocol, and there is no timetable for his return.

Semaj Christon is in the concussion protocol. Has a non-displaced facial fracture. Can play w/ mask once he returns from concussion protocol

— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) November 19, 2016

Coach Billy Donovan shot down the idea that the injuries would only add to Westbrook’s already enormous list of responsibilities.

“We’ve gotta obviously utilize different players to help generate offense. But I don’t think it should put any more on Russell’s plate,” Donovan said. “He’s gonna pretty much be in the same rotation he’s always been in.”

Westbrook’s night might be seen in a different light with a little help from his friends:

Russell Westbrook had 29 (!!) potential assists tonight.

— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) November 21, 2016

It’s nothing new for Westbrook this season. He’s second in the NBA in potential assists at 21.1 per game, according to NBA.com.

Oklahoma City is hitting two-point shots at a very solid 49.5 percent rate, but it has connected on a dismal 33.2 percent from the three-point line. The team exacerbates the problem by attempting nearly 30 percent of its shot attempts from deep.

Opponents …

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