Expectations changed when the Washington Wizards decided to trade John Wall to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook. There was a great deal of excitement and the Wizards felt their season would get a kickstart with the former NBA MVP, considering they no longer had to wait for Wall’s progression from two-year hiatus. Unfortunately, their assessment was furthest from the truth.
Excitement has quickly turned into disappointment for the Wizards. Following Friday’s ugly loss to the New York Knicks, the Wizards are now 6-17, the worst record in the Eastern Conference. What’s more troubling is the fact Washington is 2-14 in the 16 games Westbrook has played this season.
It may be unfair to place all the blame to disappointing start on Westbrook. Yet, the team is 4-3 in the seven games he did not play. Against the Knicks, the Wizards were without the NBA’s leading scorer Bradley Beal, who missed his first game of the season due to rest.
It was clear Washington missed Beal and Westbrook alone couldn’t make up for his absence. Westbrook finished the game with a team-high 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. However, he was had a minus-19 rating. Only Rui Hachimura (-25) had a worse rating, a microcosm of how the season has gone.
On the surface Westbrook is putting up good numbers. He is averaging 19 points per game and leads the team with 9.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists. Yet, digging deeper his stats may show Westbrook’s struggles with his new team.
His 103.3 offensive rating is the 32-year old’s lowest since his rookie season in 2008-09. Westbrook’s 115.6 defensive rating is a career-worst. While he is far from the worst on the Wizards this season, his minus-12.3 net rating is also a career-worst and the worst among any Washington player with at least 221 minutes played.
Meanwhile, the Wizards are 7.1 points better offensively and 3.3 points better defensively with Westbrook off the court.
Additionally, he is turning over the basketball at the highest rate of his career with 14.3%. All this why his usage is on par to his final year in Oklahoma City in 2018-19. He is shooting a mere 32.4% from three and his 41.9% field goal shooting is the lowest since his first two seasons in the NBA.
Westbrook appears to lack the bounce he once had. He is not attacking the rim like he once did. Often times he is settling for contested shots.
Is his struggles due to the quad injury that has hampered him since the start of the season? Or are they a result of a decline league executives feared?
Observers are inclined to their opinion to which is the right answer. But, the fact remains the year 1 of Westbrook in Washington doesn’t match the excitement his arrival garnered.
The Wizards are actually worse than last season, as they were 7-16 through the first 23 games in 2019-20. And that was with Wall sidelined. Amid trade rumors surrounding Beal, if the losing continues ultimately the Wizards will have to re-evaluate their direction following the acquisition of Russell Westbrook.
