Russell Westbrook has always been criticized for the decisions he makes in crunch time, and his ability to hit shots when it matters most. In the past few years, Westbrook has had a record of missing a lot of field goals, and costing his team the game. However, this season things have been different. Russell Westbrook has elevated his game and has shown up in the clutch for the Washington Wizards.
As of April 17th, Russell Westbrook in the last 5 minutes, within 5 points, and a minimum of 2 field-goal attempts per game has been phenomenal. Westbrook has 95 points (8th in the NBA), leads the league in field goal percentage (56%), effective field goal percentage (78%), and true shooting percentage (67%). Russ has always been criticized for his three-point shooting, but has shot an efficient 41% from three in the clutch, which has been 8th best in the NBA.
Russell Westbrook has single-handedly won games for the Wizards, and has indicated to the NBA world that he’s one of the best players in clutch situations. Westbrook put up these types of numbers in the clutch during his MVP season. However, ever since his MVP season, his production fell off, and the narrative of Russ being clutch slowly faded away until this season. The thing that separates Russell Westbrook this season and his MVP year is his efficiency in the clutch.
Westbrook produced a lot of points in this MVP year in the clutch, however, he was nowhere near efficient compared to this season. He didn’t shoot the ball great, but things have changed. Westbrook has learned to slow the game down which has resulted in him being one of the most efficient players in the league during clutch situations. Westbrook deserves more recognition for his stellar play when it matters most.
Photo Credit: The Athletic
