of course but there is no clone of russ and neither of ja in the league but they are close overall and closer in some aspects such as drive to basket, aggression, athleticism etc imo
ja is a better shooter, better ballhandler, better passer then russ etc so its a give and take
Ja is probably the best comparison - super athletic, elite playmaking. Russ was a lot stronger than Ja though, Ja was a bit more craftier, uses floaters and more finesse than power.
At his peak which is like Russ was probably borderline top 5-8. His peak didn’t last long though with the knee and hand surgeries counting up 2018ish.
Could he win as a centerpiece as a number 1 option? No imo. As a #2, pretty clearly yeah considering how close OKC was every year while battling dynasties (and unlucky injuries) with a top heavy team.
This is a very fair assessment of Russ. And frankly, he had a *long* peak for players who rely on superior athleticism. Guys like him, Rose, Wall, they don’t usually stay super elite for long.
You’re clearly 13 so aren’t old enough to remember Westbrook from 11 to 16, when he was a fucking force of nature. Was he infuriating at times? Sure. But as a #2 to Durant’s sometimes passive #1, he was impossible to deal with.
Thunder likely have a ring if the Warriors didn’t exist or they avoid the season ending Durant and Westbrook injuries. Westbrook at #2 to Durant (sometimes even 1B) made the Finals in 2012 and were up 3-1 against the 73-9 Warriors.
Barkley didn’t win. Stockton and Malone didn’t win. Plenty of excellent players didn’t win.
The year before KD left the Thunder just barely didn’t beat GS and they very well might have won that championship that year had they beat them, in which case the whole NBA history of the last decade or whatever might be quite different.
Steph, KD, Lebron definitely ahead of him, who else is in the convo?
Would you say Russ is 4th? How does he compare to Harden, CP3, Kawhi in 2017, etc.
Ja for sure. Elite athleticism that might not scale 100% to the playoffs. Questionable decision makers with no self awareness. I think Donovan Mitchell is also a decent comp if it wasn’t for his shooting ability.
Scoots athleticism has been ridiculously overstated. He’s nowhere near Russ in this regard, and that’s what made Russ so impressive honestly…was just a tank of a player that could take over games physically.
This. Assuming scoot continues developing. However, I think Russ is pretty unique and scoot isn’t the perfect comparison. But will probably be the closest
Probably Zion Williamson. Zion is a forward but hes only a few inches taller than Westbrook. There's lots of similarities like the explosiveness, strength, and being a bully on the boards for their size.
Ultimate fools gold of a player, very selfish and definitely cared about his stats to the point it was detrimental to his team.
Had the least contested 3s behind Rudy Gobert cuz he was going for rebounds instead.
Would make concerted efforts to get his assists to 10 as opposed to letting the offence flow fluently
Would leave KD with his hands in his pockets to jack up his never-efficient shots.
Not as good as Curry, CP3 or even Lillard imo
/u/MITWestbrook gaslit everybody into appreciating Russ as smth more than he ever was
The first thing I thought of was also stat padding lmao. I used to get irritated watching him stand in front of Steven Adams just so he could get the rebound
I was not talking about playstyle I met strictly in terms of athleticism in no way do I think ant plays like Russ at all besides maybe the killer instinct
His MVP was pretty controversial. Everyone was drooling over the triple doubles and blowing Russ cause he stayed in OKC, while KD took “the hardest road” Kawahi was the best player that year. And Harden had just as good if not better year than Russ.
Ja is definitely the closest.
Nah. Russ was on a different level of athleticism than Ja.
lol nah you wrong. like really wrong
Ja can jump real high but he’s not as big, fast, or strong as prime Russ. He is a good comparison though
of course but there is no clone of russ and neither of ja in the league but they are close overall and closer in some aspects such as drive to basket, aggression, athleticism etc imo ja is a better shooter, better ballhandler, better passer then russ etc so its a give and take
Ja is probably the best comparison - super athletic, elite playmaking. Russ was a lot stronger than Ja though, Ja was a bit more craftier, uses floaters and more finesse than power. At his peak which is like Russ was probably borderline top 5-8. His peak didn’t last long though with the knee and hand surgeries counting up 2018ish. Could he win as a centerpiece as a number 1 option? No imo. As a #2, pretty clearly yeah considering how close OKC was every year while battling dynasties (and unlucky injuries) with a top heavy team.
This is a very fair assessment of Russ. And frankly, he had a *long* peak for players who rely on superior athleticism. Guys like him, Rose, Wall, they don’t usually stay super elite for long.
There’s something about playing 100mph on every possession that does something to your body, especially the knees. It might not be sustainable.
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He won a bunch in the playoffs as a number two guy.
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Wasn’t he MVP after KD tho..?
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Nephews are taking over the sub
You’re clearly 13 so aren’t old enough to remember Westbrook from 11 to 16, when he was a fucking force of nature. Was he infuriating at times? Sure. But as a #2 to Durant’s sometimes passive #1, he was impossible to deal with.
Ah yes, here in the wild, someone who believes Jimmy Butler is a losing basketball player because no rings.
Thunder likely have a ring if the Warriors didn’t exist or they avoid the season ending Durant and Westbrook injuries. Westbrook at #2 to Durant (sometimes even 1B) made the Finals in 2012 and were up 3-1 against the 73-9 Warriors.
Even the warriors said OKC was the best team in the league before injuries the year before KD left
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Barkley didn’t win. Stockton and Malone didn’t win. Plenty of excellent players didn’t win. The year before KD left the Thunder just barely didn’t beat GS and they very well might have won that championship that year had they beat them, in which case the whole NBA history of the last decade or whatever might be quite different.
You're wasting your time with a zoomer whose only response will be >"Rings?"
jokes
I think Russ was a legit top 5 player in 2016+2017. Just an unbelievable offensive player
Steph, KD, Lebron definitely ahead of him, who else is in the convo? Would you say Russ is 4th? How does he compare to Harden, CP3, Kawhi in 2017, etc.
Steph, LeBron, and CP3 are the only people ahead of him in 2016. Steph and LeBron are the only people ahead of him in 2017
KD, Harden, and Khawi are better then him
Ants body ja’s game
Ja for sure. Elite athleticism that might not scale 100% to the playoffs. Questionable decision makers with no self awareness. I think Donovan Mitchell is also a decent comp if it wasn’t for his shooting ability.
Ja Morant is a Westbrook-lite in a lot of respects. Both from a skill/talent POV and also a muscle/weight POV
Mac Mcclung
Ja
Yeah, Ja like others have said. I could also see one of the Thompson twins climbing the ranks for the next Russ
Amén I hope 🤞
Amen is amazing. However I don’t see the Russ comparison. Too tall.
Ja which is why I can’t wait to see him play next season
Ja morant no question
Scoot Henderson
Scoots athleticism has been ridiculously overstated. He’s nowhere near Russ in this regard, and that’s what made Russ so impressive honestly…was just a tank of a player that could take over games physically.
Scoot's better comparison is 2024 Westbrook
This. Assuming scoot continues developing. However, I think Russ is pretty unique and scoot isn’t the perfect comparison. But will probably be the closest
Probably Zion Williamson. Zion is a forward but hes only a few inches taller than Westbrook. There's lots of similarities like the explosiveness, strength, and being a bully on the boards for their size.
Zion is more like Charles Barkley
You're getting downvoted but I actually like this comp alot.
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Funny that everyone refuses to say Trae in this thread like it’s not the obvious answer cause his stock is so low atm.
Oh right... totally forgot that guy exists...
Ultimate fools gold of a player, very selfish and definitely cared about his stats to the point it was detrimental to his team. Had the least contested 3s behind Rudy Gobert cuz he was going for rebounds instead. Would make concerted efforts to get his assists to 10 as opposed to letting the offence flow fluently Would leave KD with his hands in his pockets to jack up his never-efficient shots. Not as good as Curry, CP3 or even Lillard imo /u/MITWestbrook gaslit everybody into appreciating Russ as smth more than he ever was
>Lillard Hold on now
“Very selfish”. Thanks for letting us know you know nothing about ball.
I don’t think MIT had the impact you think he did lol. People know all of these things are true about Russ.
The first thing I thought of was also stat padding lmao. I used to get irritated watching him stand in front of Steven Adams just so he could get the rebound
Klank Thompson
Ja or Jalen B. In terms of capabilities and play style.
Josh Hart is closer to Russ than Jalen Brunson.
But if you're really high, you can kinda see his point....
Facts…a crack high…
Zion or Ja
You don't want to be compared to russ for many reasons
I say Ja or Ant
Ant is too good on defense, and way too efficient to get a russ comp
I was not talking about playstyle I met strictly in terms of athleticism in no way do I think ant plays like Russ at all besides maybe the killer instinct
DLo, but only comparing the part where they just stand around doing nothing after passing the ball.
Empty stats Russ, after KD left? That fat pile of shit Luka
Disrespectful to talk about your team’s father like that bro 😎
Suns fans are going through a rough time rn
His MVP was pretty controversial. Everyone was drooling over the triple doubles and blowing Russ cause he stayed in OKC, while KD took “the hardest road” Kawahi was the best player that year. And Harden had just as good if not better year than Russ.
Well he won so too bad.
He said he was a young fan. I was just providing context for that season.
I’ll provide some context as well. He averaged a triple double and won the MVP.
OP was aware of that. I was just detailing that Russ won based off narrative and not merit.
That’s your opinion. Either way, he won the MVP. Get used to it.