Russell Westbrook pg abilities

cdubbz · Post #1 » by **cdubbz** » Sat May 24, 2008 4:24 am

So is this guy a real pg or is he more of a sg? I was able to watch him a few times at UCLA, but he never really played the pg. He has nice size and defense if he truly is a solid point gaurd.

Post #2 » by **PhilipNelsonFan** » Sat May 24, 2008 4:39 am

Right now, the only thing he can offer as a PG is driving to the lane and defending opposing PGs. He has a long way to go before any team could call him a PG.

Post #3 » by **5DOM** » Sat May 24, 2008 4:40 am

SG.

His ball handling skills are average at best right now.

longfellow44 · Post #4 » by **longfellow44** » Sat May 24, 2008 7:12 am

I'm going to have to say that he will be a good NBA PG.

1 His ball handling isn't as bad as it seems. He looks out of control because he's driving so hard toward the hoop however with a little maturity he won't have that problem as much.

2 He has a decent pull up jumper that doesn't extend out to 3 but is very effective when driving the lane.

3 He isn't an exremely creatvie passer but he's a very effective floor general. His passes aren't flashy but they are effective and set his teamates up very well. Should average around 6 assists in the NBA as a starter.

4. He's a great on ball defender.

5. He's a pretty good off ball defender. He Knows when to rotate.

6. His driving the lane is actually very similar to tony parker but instead of finishing with a tear drop he goes up for the dunk. His driving sets up teammates by pulling players into the lane. This allows him to pass the ball back out to the perimeter where a 3pt shooter should be waiting. If your team has good 3pt shooters his ability to draw a double team when driving will be extremely valuable.

Comparison-More Atheltic and better defensivly Kirk Hinrich.

fugop · Post #5 » by **fugop** » Sat May 24, 2008 7:57 am

I got flamed on the Wiz board for this, but all I see when I watch Westbrook is Marcus Banks.

BRIGGS · Post #6 » by **BRIGGS** » Sat May 24, 2008 3:11 pm

fugop wrote:I got flamed on the Wiz board for this, but all I see when I watch Westbrook is Marcus Banks.

Hes much longer than Banks. He floats to the hole at will--in an open system--lets say Pheonix--I think he will be similar to a Monta Ellis type player. Remember Monta does not shoot many 3 balls--most of his damage comes off short range or drives.

Post #7 » by **UGA Hayes** » Sun May 25, 2008 6:23 pm

He reminds me of a better defending Barbosa to be honest.

Bucky O'Hare · Post #8 » by **Bucky O'Hare** » Sun May 25, 2008 11:38 pm

He reminded me of Devin Harris, so I did some statistical research...

Very comparable numbers. I included both Harris' freshman and sophomore numbers since Westbrook barely played as a freshman (9 mpg).

Dalek · Post #9 » by **Dalek** » Mon May 26, 2008 2:32 am

I don't get the hype for this guy. He is an off the bench role player like Keyon Dooling who can play decent defense but is essentially an undersized two-guard.

MalReyn · Post #10 » by **MalReyn** » Mon May 26, 2008 3:50 am

I have been consistently saying this over the past few months even as Westbrook's draft stock has been shooting up.

I just don't see it.

He's just a short SG. He hasn't shown PG-level ballhandling skills or the ability to set up an offense. He's a good passer in transition, but I haven't seen the skills to translate to NBA PG. In fact, when he played the PG position at UCLA he inevitably struggled.

He'll be drafted high no doubt. He's going to be a workout wonder, and he won't play in the predraft camps so we won't see him struggling to run the offense. Some team will grab him in the mid/late lotto seeing him as a big PG with tons of potential.

Perhaps someday he will be a productive NBA PG. But at the moment he's very far from it. At least in is his first 2-3 years in the league he'll struggle mightily in a backup PG slot.

Post #11 » by **5DOM** » Mon May 26, 2008 3:58 am

i agree.

i like westbrook a lot, but he needs major improvement on PG skills regardless of his position in NBA.

ponder276 · Post #12 » by **ponder276** » Mon May 26, 2008 3:59 am

He is a pretty pure potential pick. He has tons of upside because he plays great d, has great size and athleticism for a PG, and is a pretty good PG on the break, but at the moment he simply cannot run an offense in the half court. He would do best on a team where he is allowed to develop slowly, working on his handles and playmaking skills, and play with a strong playmaking 2 guard once he does develop. I see his downside as roughly Tony Allen, and his upside as Monta Ellis, though it's very unlikely he'll ever be that good. If he slides to 13th I think he'd be a really good fit in Portland beside Roy, especially if he really works on his 3 pointer.

Edit: hmm, those 2 posts above me snuck in as I was typing, and pretty much said exactly what I said :-?

cdash · Post #13 » by **cdash** » Mon May 26, 2008 4:00 am

See I am with some of you guys: I just dont see the love affair with him. If I am looking for point guards, I am taking Augustin over him.

Even if he is like Devin Harris...I am not a huge fan of his point guard abilities. His value lies in his defense and quickness. He's still not a great shooter and he doesnt do a great deal of distributing. He's still a good NBA PG and I think Westbrook would be extremely fortunate to be that good.