Westbrook

[BadWolf]

This forum is still a ghost town, you can't even get a summer league report/details .
I was a big Westbrook fan in his college years. I never really liked Sonics, I had some interest when West played there, but that didn't really work, did it.
So, how was Russell's performance in the summer league. Box scores range from great to bad, reports and comments are very good, he was a first team selection. How is he as a point? His decision making, turnover, filed vision? How did he score, mostly in transition, penetration. How was his shooting, FT's looked atrocious, 3P? Defense?...
Are there any summer league games available online or at least highlight mix?

[BadWolf]

something about 1st game from draftexpress

Westbrook started off the game a bit tentatively, looking like he was thinking very hard about how to get his team into the offense. As the game wore on, though, he came out of his shell, and really started to show all the different things that made him such a tantalizing collegiate prospect, as well as some new wrinkles that we may not have been able to see in his minimal role at UCLA.

Westbrook was nearly impossible to keep out of the lane when he put his mind to it. His terrific first step, combined with his nose for the basket and surprisingly effective crossover to get his man off-balance got him into the paint time after time, allowing him to show off the breathtaking leaping ability finishing above the rim that we’ve all come to know and love over the last season. He showed a good demeanor on the floor, knowing when to try and make things happen individually and when to settle in and get others involved, even if it’s clear that he’s no finished product as far as his playmaking skills are concerned.

Westbrook was fairly effective running the pick and roll (surveying the options nicely and finding open teammates on the drive and dish), and generally didn’t seem to have much of an issue getting his team into their offense once he settled in. He wasn’t immune to taking some bad shots from time to time, but you certainly could have expected a lot worse all things considered. He hit one NBA 3-pointer even (but bricked other shots and some free throws) and also played his typical fantastic defense, being a menace on the floor with his athleticism, but smart and active enough to take advantage of it effectively.

[jax98]

Westbrook was amazing in summer league. I never expected him to showcase that kind of offensive ability. I'm know beginning to understand why he was drafted that high.

[bmw42690]

Somewhere on ESPN they said he was the best player at the summer league.

[wizkid27]

It sounds like he and green looked solid together, they both took home 1st team honors for the Orlando Summer league. There aren't that many teams at that SL, the big one started in Vegas yesterday.

[joeshmoe]

According to an ESPN reporter he was the best player of the league.

BEST PLAYER: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City

Ask the GMs who attended the five-day camp in Orlando, and they unanimously pick Westbrook as the week's top performer. Everyone knew he was a defensive ace with his long arms and burly shoulders, but he was far more effective offensively this week than most expected.

He used his size and burst off the dribble to get anywhere on the floor he wanted. Because of injuries, he never got to play against Rose in what would have been one of the marquee matchups of the week, but he had his way with Chalmers and the other guards in the camp.

Kevin Durant, the NBA's reigning Rookie of the Year, left highly impressed, and confident that the young core of himself, Jeff Green, White and Westbrook means that OKC will have a winner sooner rather than later].

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Orlando-Awards-080711

[oksportsguy]

Guys, we're still a long way from opening day. Last year everyone was wondering what happened to Durant, so I think I'll wait before I get to excited.

On the other hand we may seeing a glimpse of the chemistry we hope to see this year.

[McG]

For all sports fans unfamiliar with the most basic workings of the NBA: summer league is not a good representation of actual league performance. These statistics are even a worse translation than college stats, as a 4 game sample obviously will never tell the entire story. It is great that Westbrook performed well in the games he has played, but you have to factor in everything that summer league entails: a guard-oriented offense, inferior coaching, and (most importantly) competition that includes around 10% of players that will ever sniff the NBA. Basically you shouldn't be encouraged (Westbrook)/discouraged (Beasely) by summer league performance. I hope this helps.

[bmw42690]

For all sports fans unfamiliar with the most basic workings of the NBA: summer league is not a good representation of actual league performance. These statistics are even a worse translation than college stats, as a 4 game sample obviously will never tell the entire story.

Perfect example: Kwame Brown.

[OKCFan]

For all sports fans unfamiliar with the most basic workings of the NBA: summer league is not a good representation of actual league performance. These statistics are even a worse translation than college stats, as a 4 game sample obviously will never tell the entire story. It is great that Westbrook performed well in the games he has played, but you have to factor in everything that summer league entails: a guard-oriented offense, inferior coaching, and (most importantly) competition that includes around 10% of players that will ever sniff the NBA. Basically you shouldn't be encouraged (Westbrook)/discouraged (Beasely) by summer league performance. I hope this helps.

Thanks, we OKCers are still pretty new to the whole NBA scene and haven't exactly figured everything out yet. Thanks for clearing that up.

I'm kidding. But seriously, I don't think anyone is going nuts over Westbrook's performance in summer league. And we know that it is against not-very-good competition. But it's still encouraging to see him do good and put up good stats in his first summer league NBA games ever... If he was considered the best player over the course of the week including Beasley, Rose, Lopez, Jeff Green, etc., it's worth remarking about, even if it doesn't mean he will average 16 points and 4 assists in the regular season.

[McG]

I don't think anyone is going nuts over Westbrook's performance in summer league.

Westbrook was amazing in summer league.

OK.

[OKCFan]

McG, whatever. Just let people be. Everyone in Oklahoma City is excited for their new team and want to talk about the players. Just let them. You don't have to come in on your high horse and explain to everyone how the NBA works, what shape a basketball is, etc. Just because OKC has never had an NBA team doesn't mean that none of us know what's going on.

[cdash]

McG, whatever. Just let people be. Everyone in Oklahoma City is excited for their new team and want to talk about the players. Just let them. You don't have to come in on your high horse and explain to everyone how the NBA works, what shape a basketball is, etc. Just because OKC has never had an NBA team doesn't mean that none of us know what's going on.

A basketball is orange, and contrary to the name "Basketball", there is no use of an actual basket. It is a circle with a net attached to it. Deceiving, I know.

...lol, seriously, I have read some of the threads in here and people really need to stop trying to baby the OKC fans through it. They do have the internet, TV, and have probably seen a good deal of basketball seeing as how the Hornets were just there a few years ago.

[wizkid27]

Summer league play is definitely not predictive, but if you do look at certain things, it can be very insightful to the player's game. For example, how Westbrook defends these athletic guards who are constantly penetrating, how he works with Jeff Green, and to a smaller extent, how he controls the offense as the floor general.

[joeshmoe]

It is much better to have a good performance in summer league than a bad one. Though success in the summer league does not always translate into eventual success in the NBA. Struggling in the summer league is often the first sign of a bust. I was not thrilled that we picked Westbrook so high in the draft, so I for one, was very excited he did so well. By the way, Brandon Roy was the MVP of the Vegas summer league a couple years ago, and he turned out okay.

[McG]

By the way, Brandon Roy was the MVP of the Vegas summer league a couple years ago, and he turned out okay.

For every Brandon Roy there are 5 Nikoloz Tskitishvili's.

You don't have to come in on your high horse and explain to everyone how the NBA works, what shape a basketball is, etc. Just because OKC has never had an NBA team doesn't mean that none of us know what's going on.

I understand that you may have heard of 'basketball' before, I'm just giving my honest opinion like all of you. You don't have to single me out because I may disagree with the consensus in this forum. I'd much rather respond to an argument of why Westbrook will average 20-10-5 in his rookie season than try to describe the shape of a basketball for you.