Spurs @ Thunder: Why Russell Westbrook Is Not A Point Guard 

always felt this way .. coming up to 10 years later and aint shit changed

Westbrook should watch this

The thunder should have traded westbrook not harden

lebron missed watching this 9 years ago and regrets it in 2021

Way ahead of time Coach

Skip Bayless has been saying the same thing lol. I think he should be a 2 guard, with reggie jackson as the PG. he can score like mad but this team needs a passer to run plays and to have someone else have the ball. He'll just drive at everything if he gets the ball all the time.

Westbrook does this kind of shit all the time. The best scorer in the world plays next to him (Durant), but Westbrook takes more shots per game.

russeli westbrook is raw and explosive yall are hating

This man is and has always been a menace and still is ten years later. 🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️🤦🏾‍♂️

I like your analyses, they're unbiased unlike a majority and very well-informed. Keep it up!

westbrook played sg in college, of course he is going to be more adjusted to the sg position.

I agree with everything you said coach EXCEPT when you said that the worst shot in basketball is a foot on the 3 point line. the worst shot is an offbalanced shot. adjusting the feet to have them behind a 3 point line for an extra point will almost always result in a miss.

He's not saying Westbrook is a crap player, just not very good at traditional PG duties (passing, controlling the tempo, keeping calm, getting other teammates involved, NOT SHOOTING SO MUCH, etc). Without a doubt, he'd be a terrific SG.

been hitting the tanning salon a little too hard coach? just kidding, thanks for the great content lately.

So many dislikes because people can't stand it when people are speaking the truth. In 33 games russell westbrook shots over 50 percent in 8 games out of 33. In 33 games Durant has shoot over 50 percent in 22 of those games. Still cannot comprehend how a point guard is shooting more than the most unstoppable scorer in the NBA right now.

I think you missed the point. Did you read our companion article? He's a great scorer - would be the 3rd best shooting guard in the league. But there's a big difference between KD and Kobe shooting a lot of shots and Russ shooting these without ever passing

you have no idea how much it kills me to see an unstoppable scorer in durant standing around in the corner while westbrook dribbles into a terrible leaning jumpshot over and over again...

Thank you for this and all your videos! They're very insightful for us basketball fans

The funny thing about this particular game was that Westbrook scored 36 on 45% shooting! Not a bad game at all if you just consider the numbers.

@jamescfc1 Thanks! We've been making this case for some time, but it was a perfect game to illustrate his problems. Bottom line, let him play SHOOTING GUARD! Did you read our companion article at our website?

Thats the beauty of having a really good coach. They all sit down watch film then correct the mistakes they see. Hats off to Brooks for staying with Westbrook and trusting him. Now theyre in the finals in large part from Westbrook's outstanding play.

I need to go through the game and see - but that certainly is compelling evidence. THX

Thanks! Lots more coming up.

How come you don't show how good Russell Westbrook is?

Regarding your criticism of Westbrook's ball-watching (on his free-throw/shot): This topic was actually brought up during the 2012 all-star game where Andre Igoudala was captured asking a teammate whether he preferred to watch the rim or the ball after observing that Love and Nowitzki follow the ball's path. Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr then chime in the players are split roughly 50/50 on that issue and that they both watched the ball. For reference: 4th quarter, 7:55 remaining.

I agree with what some of the other guys on here said. You should do some vids on good coaching. These are brilliant breakdowns that contribute to my interest in the sport but I think it would be much better to see some really good coaching to see the whole picture and be able to judge how well a team plays. Thanks!

i think what is the biggest problem with OKC is that they have no veteran players. they are young and have a lot of energy, but sometimes a team needs a veteran verbal guy to openly criticize some bad plays. today i have read that Derek Fisher is going to play for OKC. i hope he can bring his leadership skills to this city and really help them make a run to the finals.

Just watched a bunch of the 1st game with DFish in OKC - when he and Westbrook were in together, Fisher was a 2 guard who didn't bring the ball up...

I'm actually Coach Nick, but Erik doesn't sound too bad. Nash came close, if they hadn't gotten into that fight, who knows? I think it's clear Rondo was propping up those 3 guys in Boston, making them better - have you seen what he's been doing this year? Did you read the companion article at our website? Compelling evidence for why a team with a PG that shoots that much can't win a title

They've show improvement in every position every year. They just ended the Spurs 20 game win streak. And now tied the series up. Westbrook had bad shooting nights in game 3 and 4. But that didn't stop him from getting 7 boards and 9 assists.

If 40% of his attempts are layups/dunks, and he's shooting 47% overall, that's pretty damn good in my book and he can keep shooting as much as he has been. OKC is 20-4 when he takes more shots than Durant.

I like Harden where he is - dominating the second teams, finishing off games.

bias bias and more bias, he loves james harden and points out everything good he does and points out everything westbrook does bad. Hes never made a video of what westbrook does good at.

thank you for this Coach Nick. every criticism i've ever had about westbrook in one video, i'm sharing this video to everyone i know.

This isn't really breaking news but a good video really nailing the point home. You should do a break down on Kobe shooting 3-20 the other night.

@WellOfWisdom You got it - we will try and emphasize the good coaching in our upcoming breakdowns...

The thing about him looking at the ball on his shot - Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller were discussing that during the ASW and I think Reggie said that he looks at the ball instead of the rim on his shot.

Completely agree. I hope I can understand the game at your level someday!

@Magratheazaphod Still working on color balance with our new camera... We'll get it right soon

So coach, take a shot at the NBA finals this year. I once had MIA vs OKC, but after watching this educational breakdown, I can`t chose a team from the West....yet.

Westbrook is not a bad player by any means. He has just been put in the game at the wrong position. He has all the qualities of a great Shooting Guard and could run that position promptly, especially if he was running side by side with Reggie in at point guard. Westbrook can shoot and take it in to the rim with ease with all his strength. He is extremely explosive. You definitely have something against Westbrook because you pointed out any and every flaw of his extensively in this video. The Thunder need to simply rethink their Starting Lineup and only then will they dominate the game.

He's still the 2nd best player on the Thunder, but it's hard to forget how he played in the WCF last year..

@TuaPekGong I'll tell you how they do it - Greg Poppovich. They have a defined, clear cut system, and know how to teach these guys to fit into it. It's not a coincidence they keep getting guys who plug themselves in and excel.

I miss the good ol' days when high basketball IQ was more important than anything in the league, compared to now when you have young talent entering the NBA with nothing more to offer than raw athleticism.

No way - they don't get close to the Eastern Conference Finals without him,

No i still stand by what i said. I didn't mean to bash on your video though, sorry about that. i had a rough day that day haha. Keep up the good work though, it's good to see someone who appreciates and loves basketball as much as i do (even if our opinions may vary) !!

People need to understand something, Westbrook was a SG in high school and college. that's why he plays like he plays. he still has the mindset of ''shoot''. give him some time to adjust to PG. and i heard on NBATV he works with James Harden with Passing skills.

coach, it's amazing how you're right about westbrook, just watch the playoff right now

Great Video Coach Nick. Love your work. It would be great if you could do a video with emphasis on the bulls with and without Rose and how well you think they would matchup against the Heat, in lue of the inevitable eastern finals matchup. God bless!

Rajon Rondo: 11 APG , Chris Paul: 10 APG, Deron Williams: 9 APG, Derrick Rose: 9 APG. If 6.8 APG is pretty good, then these PGs have amazing numbers. Westbrook has no excuse for that low number of assists. He has a shitload of shooters on his team including the NBA scoring champion KD, Sixth Man of the Year James Harden, Thabo Sefolosha, Royal Ivey and more. Westbrook should be averaging 10+ assists per game with the amount of talent on the Thunder. PGs job is to get shots for others first.

once westbrook comes back from injury i think the thunder should put reggie jackson at point guard, russell at sg, and sefalosha on the bench

(Part2) ... Magic led a not very good Lakers team into the finals 1991 by making every one else better around him. Iverson led the sixers into the finals by playing 46.2 MPG, scoring 32.9 PPG and dishing 6.1 APG. And that makes him one of the toughest mentally and physically to ever play the game, but definitely not a floor general!

Tons of people are in the crowd in the first quarter but then everyone leaves in the 3rd quarter

i agree but so many people forget that without westbrook they can't make it this far, also, d-rose avg 6.8 apg thru his career.. westbrook is a pg but doesn't play like it.. he still is amazing

Did you see that Russ had a career high in a win w/ Fish playing serious minutes??

@juliancolonupperd Thanks! Make sure to go to the link and read our article. I'm really proud of it...

8:28 Kevin durant stands in the corner thinking in his head "please dont so anything stupid westbrook" and then he shoots a ill-timed 3 pointer lmao...

Westbrook was a shooting guard naturally..that one key point that you can consider why he is shot happy

I agree with you - it's simply a positional thing, really. Get a non shooting, defensie point guard in the lineup (DFish could be that guy) and let Russ attack from the wing and baseline after a few passes...

I don't know how Spurs do it, but almost every rookie they drafted has potential. Even in the midst of the second round pick! That's really impressive. Furthermore, people have been looking at the Spurs as an underdog since the start of every season after their last championship ring and the year after. Saying they are old and whatnot, but let's face it. The team chemistry is AMAZING! They have been playing since their rookie seasons together afterall, and that is what makes them so strong.

and basically hes just saying "westbrook sucks". even when he makes the shot, he says "and he makes the shot, OUT OF CONTROL"

@bballbreakdown I wish I could remember what Kerr said! Reggie definitely said he follows the path of the ball. This came up during the all star game - they had Iguodala wired up and he noticed it about Dirk and Kevin Love. It's the first time I ever even heard of people looking at the ball, but if some of the greatest shooters in NBA history do it, then I guess it comes down to 'whatever works'.

I agree with the most of the defensive mistakes, but on the pick-n-roll early in the video with DeJuan Blair and Tony Parker, Westbrook played ok defense, but Tony made a great decision.

i've heard shooters are 50/50 about looking at the rim and looking at the ball. the players were talking about it at the all-star game this year.

This guy clearly just criticised good nba players to make people agree and become a ''good" basketball news reporter.

Actually, Dirk's shot has got a hitch, and it's way above his head. So he doesn't have picture perfect form either. Shooters like Dale Ellis, Steve Kerr, Eddie Johnson all had perfect form, and never looked at the ball in flight.

Just because something hasnt been done before doesnt mean it never will. I remember when Jordan would never win a title because everyone knew 1)Scoring champs dont win titles 2)You can only win with a dominant center 3)The triangle would never work

I really don't see what you guys are complaining about. I actually like this

OKC's GM saw this video and immediately contacted Derek Fisher to sign him, too teach some sense into Westbrook on being a point guard, and the proper term of leadership.

That was a good vid man!

I've been waiting on the breakdown for, like, forever. Russell Westbrook is an incredible athlete, and he can make some amazing plays, finish above and below the rim in a spectacular fashion, even get the midrange cranking, but honestly, does anyone seriously consider this guy any kind of decent playmaker? I always check the OKC boxscores, KD routinely has almost as many assists as RW. More concerning is the lack of production outside KD, RW, and The Bearded One. Great breakdown Coach.

@premiumlager7 We did do one on his offense earlier, but we'll make sure to focus on his style going into the playoffs.

You certainly had balls of steel to say that when the Thunder were down 3-1.

GREAT video. Any thoughts on doing a John Wall video? He's quietly come alive over the past few months and there are tons of misconceptions about his game and his (lack of) teammates.

People should stop arguing about Rondo vs. Westbrook. Because Derrick rose, in his MVP season, averaged 25 and almost 8 assists. Westbrook can put up more points than that, but not assists. And Rondo can put up more assists than that, but sure as hell not points.

He fell in love with that pullup J lol

Westbrook is the best defender in the NBA. He is the only one who can stop Kevin Durant. Awesome defense.

Why don't you do a video called "Why Kevin Durant waits at the 3point line with his hands up all game and then takes hero shots at the end of the game."

I think someone should chart the number of possessions where Westbrook brings the ball up and shoots in w/o passing. I suspect it's a lot higher than Rose, or DWill...

problem with westbrook is mainly because his lack of experience, maturity and sometimes bad attitude. But i think its a bit unfair stating that he will NEVER win a championship so early in his career. People also hated on lebron when he wasn't winning... Westbrook's positive attributes are way more than the negatives, gotta respect the man

its all true. Westbrook is young and has time to grow.

I think his point was, if we were to point out the errors from various top point guards Russell Westbrook would make more questionable decisions than any other top point guards in the league. Which makes him conclude whether or not making Russell Westbrook a point guard is the best decision for OKC's future. Although it's not even a question that Russell Westbrook athleticism is equal that of Derrick Rose.

great breakdown! the thunder had an opportunity to trade westbrook for rondo in the offseason. i think that would have been perfect for both teams. celtics need a scoring punch, and the thunder need a point guard willing to defer to shooters like harden and durant. love your vids, keep em up -that spurs fan from LA

I agree to your points, thing making this difficult is that he has skills to recover his misjudges. I would switch him to SG and bring other bartender PGs to his position.

Hey coach, Westbrook is shooting 47% from the field while averaging 24 points per game. He just needs to listen to Scott Brooks. If he doesn't, he has to move to shooting guard. I think the thunder made a mistake when they nailed him a 80 million dollar deal. They should've offered that money to mister beard man

Calling this biased is pretty pointless considering the video states an opinion clearly.

@TheNotoriousEze I don't think he's any better defensively. And Rose isn't angry, doesn't let refs get to him... you saw how he doesn't always get back on defense fast enough, right?

Man, Coach Nick is speaking the truth!

hes not a natural traditional pg, no one is denying hes a great scorer. not to say that okc will never win with westbrook, just that from a coach's perspective, it is understandable that they question westbrook's decision making

You don't understand why people hate him because you don't understand basketball.

This has aged so well! :D

Yey Spurs breakdown!!! Thanks coach

I half agree with you. He is a point guard of the new style, the athletic, scoring point guard. The problem with Westbrook, and what sets him apart from Rose and Wall, is that his decision making is frequently god awful. Granted Wall isn't the most mature player either, but in the last part of the 2012-2013 season he really seemed to get it together.

Westbrook in an example of a player who is more concerned in scoring than playing team basketball.

West is so tough to figure out. I don't think OKC is built for a deep run in the playoffs... Lakers are looking dangerous again...

What does any of that have to do with Iverson playing both posistions equally well? Iverson was the primary scorer and offensive force back then, that doesnt mean he couldn't play PG.

And I thought Sam Presti was one of the best GMs in the NBA after he managed to pull out Perkins. But then he gave a max contract to Westbrook... *facepalm*

Well, if a lot of athletic guards get out of hand, it still doesn't make it right. I believe the Thunder are built for the regular season, not the playoffs.

One might say that not being known for defense is a recipe for never winning a championship too.

@RockmanExe10 Thanks - this is our most popular breakdown ever...