Westbrook: Maturity Is Key
Think of Russell Westbrook and the first thing that surely comes to mind is his incredible speed. The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard is among the new breed at this position that encompasses supreme athleticism with solid defensive skills. That lightning speed is exactly what earned him a place in the Skills Challenge at the NBA’s 2011 All-Star Weekend competing against Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Stephen Curry and John Wall.
We spoke to Westbrook prior to the kickoff of the event; naturally, he was asked to name his biggest competitor.
"All them guys," he answered. "They’re all fast. They all have amazing abilities, so it should be a good one."
Indeed it was. Westbrook logged the best time (30.0 seconds) of the five in the first round, but came up short in the second round. Curry walked away with the title.
It’s been quite an impressive past year for Westbrook already. Following the Thunder’s loss to a shell-shocked Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of last season’s playoffs, Westbrook traveled abroad to help Team USA capture the FIBA World Championship Title. The newly-crowned All-Star reserve is experiencing a third-year jump this year (22.2 ppg, 8.6 apg, 5.0 rpg) with hopes of taking his team deeper in the playoffs at season’s end. However, there are many more games left to play.
"Coming up is gonna be a big stretch for us," noted Westbrook. "As long as we continue to stay on the same page, we should be alright."
Westbrook talked playoffs; specifically, the lessons the team took away from that Lakers’ series.
"I think we learned a lot," he shared. "At the start of the season, we learned that we need to be mentally focused throughout the whole season, and throughout the whole year, to be able to make that next jump as a team."
Oklahoma City’s roster contains a nine-player rotation with an average age of 24.0. The Thunder’s general manager, Sam Presti, has methodically hand-picked this group to grow together with an eye on future postseason conquers. It seems to just work with this group.
"We’ve gotten older as a team and we’ve matured, and I think that’s the key for us," said Westbrook.
"I think in this league you have to get better and better every year, and as a team, we’ve done that."
{AUTHOR_BOX}Four Thunder players are heavily involved in All-Star events over the weekend in Los Angeles – Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, James Harden and Westbrook.
"For us to be here and represent our team…" he said, his voice trailing off. "Just thankful for us to be here."
Westbrook threw hearty support behind Ibaka as he participated in the Slam Dunk Contest. Although Blake Griffin walked away with the trophy, Westbrook thought Ibaka had a good shot at the title.
He also has the added bonus of meeting up with his old UCLA teammate, Kevin Love. NBA commissioner David Stern selected Love as a Western Conference reserve in the All-Star game to replace injured Yao Ming.
"It’s good to be reunited again (with Love)," Westbrook shared. "Kevin’s my boy, and it’s good to get back on the floor with him."
Although Westbrook failed to snag the All-Star Skills Challenge title this year, it’s a sure bet he will return to compete, probably for many years to come.
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