Peter Rosston: Russell Westbrook should not be considered the best player in the NBA because as of this moment, Lebron James is still in the league. I think many people would agree that Westbrook has the most impressive raw stats in the league, however he is not doing it in an efficient manner. His usage rate of 42.3% is tops in the league, and 7% more than James Harden who is second. Westbrook true shooting percentage of .544 puts him 19th among starting point guards. There is no doubt Westbrook is a great player, and certainly a top 10 player in the league today, but the triple-double stats are merely eye candy.
Jacob Gross: Given the level at which, Russell Westbrook has been playing this season, he definitely deserves to be considered for the title of "best player in the NBA." Anyone who is able to get so many triple-doubles and is on his way to becoming the second NBA player ever to average one for an entire season automatically should be considered as one of the game's best, but advanced stats show how spectacular Westbrook's season has truly been. Not only does Westbrook compile big numbers on a nightly basis, but he is also the most efficient player in the NBA by a rather wide margin--his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is 29.7, which is 1.5 higher than that of Anthony Davis, this season's second most efficient player. Westbrook also leads the league in Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) by a comfortable margin of 1.3. Westbrook is such a dynamic player and is able to do so much more than most who play his position or are his size, especially rebounding; Westbrook ranks an impressive 11th in the league in rebounds per game and averages more than four more per game than any qualified point guard other than James Harden. Although Westbrook should definitely be considered as one of this season's best and most valuable players, I don't think that he is deserving of this season's MVP award, as James Harden is putting up almost as remarkable numbers and has led the Rockets to the third best record in the NBA, something that almost no one expected. Harden narrowly trails Westbrook in PER and VORP but leads the NBA in win shares and offensive win shares. Harden has taken his game to a completely new level in his first season as a full-time starting point guard, demonstrated by the fact that he is leading the league in assists per game (even though many used to think of him as a selfish player) and is tied for 22nd in the NBA in rebounds per game as a point guard. So, while Westbrook should surely be considered as one of the league's top players, I wouldn't necessarily say that he is the single best and most valuable.
Jack Friedman: For as impressive as Westbrook's stat lines have been this season, I don't think he can be considered the best player in the NBA. What Westbrook does better than anyone else in the league right now (and arguably has done for the past few years only being a bit muted by the presence of Kevin Durant) is put up big stat lines. As an avid fantasy basketball player, I have seen Westbrook's impressive numbers for the past few seasons, averaging 10.4 assists per game and 7.8 rebounds per game last year and 8.6 assists per game and 7.3 rebounds per game the year before, making him a hot commodity as a guard who gets extra fantasy points from rebounding. This year, we are merely seeing Westbrook being pushed into overdrive without Durant at his side, forcing him to take on more responsibilities all around. The increase in 2.7 rebounds per game is likely coming from his increased ball handling, with him starting off at the back of the play more often without other teammates running the point, and thus him going up for more rebounds on the defensive end. The increase in assists can also be explained by Durant's absence. Without another superstar on the floor, defenses are collapsing on Westbrook as he drives, leaving the Thunder with 3 open shooters and an open center in the paint, leading to an assist for Westbrook on plenty of possessions. This is the same system largely utilized by James Harden and the Houston Rockets and is also the culprit for his large stat lines. Ultimately, I think the best players with the worst "supporting casts" will end up having these crazy stat lines but I don't think that makes Westbrook (or Harden for that matter) better than someone like LeBron James by any means. I mean imagine you're in Game 7 of the Finals with 10 seconds left on the clock, would you rely on Anthony Morrow or Trevor Ariza to hit his kick-out three from Westbrook or Harden or would you want an angry LeBron barreling down the court wanting to ice the game by backing down Draymond in the post until he inevitably turns around and buries the J. You tell me.
Tyler Brandt: Yes, but not because of the triple-doubles. As awesome as it is to look in a box score and see three categories with double digits, there is nothing special about getting that 10th rebound or assist. It matters the same as getting the 9th, or 11th, for that matter. Instead, Westbrook is in the conversation for NBA's best player because he has performed at an elite level for the past 3 seasons. He has been in the top six in RPM since 2014-15, a feat matched only by LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Westbrook routinely maintains an astronomically high usage rate, while sticking around league average in efficiency. On defense, he has never been at Chris Paul's level, but he has always performed very well relative to the other point guards in the NBA. I wouldn't give him the title, as I am still going with LeBron. But should he be considered? Absolutely, and it goes much further beyond how many double-digit categories he achieves on a nightly basis.
Jacob Gross: Given the level at which, Russell Westbrook has been playing this season, he definitely deserves to be considered for the title of "best player in the NBA." Anyone who is able to get so many triple-doubles and is on his way to becoming the second NBA player ever to average one for an entire season automatically should be considered as one of the game's best, but advanced stats show how spectacular Westbrook's season has truly been. Not only does Westbrook compile big numbers on a nightly basis, but he is also the most efficient player in the NBA by a rather wide margin--his Player Efficiency Rating (PER) is 29.7, which is 1.5 higher than that of Anthony Davis, this season's second most efficient player. Westbrook also leads the league in Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) by a comfortable margin of 1.3. Westbrook is such a dynamic player and is able to do so much more than most who play his position or are his size, especially rebounding; Westbrook ranks an impressive 11th in the league in rebounds per game and averages more than four more per game than any qualified point guard other than James Harden. Although Westbrook should definitely be considered as one of this season's best and most valuable players, I don't think that he is deserving of this season's MVP award, as James Harden is putting up almost as remarkable numbers and has led the Rockets to the third best record in the NBA, something that almost no one expected. Harden narrowly trails Westbrook in PER and VORP but leads the NBA in win shares and offensive win shares. Harden has taken his game to a completely new level in his first season as a full-time starting point guard, demonstrated by the fact that he is leading the league in assists per game (even though many used to think of him as a selfish player) and is tied for 22nd in the NBA in rebounds per game as a point guard. So, while Westbrook should surely be considered as one of the league's top players, I wouldn't necessarily say that he is the single best and most valuable.
Jack Friedman: For as impressive as Westbrook's stat lines have been this season, I don't think he can be considered the best player in the NBA. What Westbrook does better than anyone else in the league right now (and arguably has done for the past few years only being a bit muted by the presence of Kevin Durant) is put up big stat lines. As an avid fantasy basketball player, I have seen Westbrook's impressive numbers for the past few seasons, averaging 10.4 assists per game and 7.8 rebounds per game last year and 8.6 assists per game and 7.3 rebounds per game the year before, making him a hot commodity as a guard who gets extra fantasy points from rebounding. This year, we are merely seeing Westbrook being pushed into overdrive without Durant at his side, forcing him to take on more responsibilities all around. The increase in 2.7 rebounds per game is likely coming from his increased ball handling, with him starting off at the back of the play more often without other teammates running the point, and thus him going up for more rebounds on the defensive end. The increase in assists can also be explained by Durant's absence. Without another superstar on the floor, defenses are collapsing on Westbrook as he drives, leaving the Thunder with 3 open shooters and an open center in the paint, leading to an assist for Westbrook on plenty of possessions. This is the same system largely utilized by James Harden and the Houston Rockets and is also the culprit for his large stat lines. Ultimately, I think the best players with the worst "supporting casts" will end up having these crazy stat lines but I don't think that makes Westbrook (or Harden for that matter) better than someone like LeBron James by any means. I mean imagine you're in Game 7 of the Finals with 10 seconds left on the clock, would you rely on Anthony Morrow or Trevor Ariza to hit his kick-out three from Westbrook or Harden or would you want an angry LeBron barreling down the court wanting to ice the game by backing down Draymond in the post until he inevitably turns around and buries the J. You tell me.
Tyler Brandt: Yes, but not because of the triple-doubles. As awesome as it is to look in a box score and see three categories with double digits, there is nothing special about getting that 10th rebound or assist. It matters the same as getting the 9th, or 11th, for that matter. Instead, Westbrook is in the conversation for NBA's best player because he has performed at an elite level for the past 3 seasons. He has been in the top six in RPM since 2014-15, a feat matched only by LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Westbrook routinely maintains an astronomically high usage rate, while sticking around league average in efficiency. On defense, he has never been at Chris Paul's level, but he has always performed very well relative to the other point guards in the NBA. I wouldn't give him the title, as I am still going with LeBron. But should he be considered? Absolutely, and it goes much further beyond how many double-digit categories he achieves on a nightly basis.