Power ranking NBA Western Conference point guards
By Connor Learn
![Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) go head-to-head tonight in a meeting of two stars in today's FanDuel daily picks. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) go head-to-head tonight in a meeting of two stars in today's FanDuel daily picks. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/03b6b73f7bc4ecae431927055b62a81e4b861aac99762f41dcad01d19ce26e3b.jpg)
1. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Russell Westbrook improves every summer and comes back and plays basketball at a higher level every season. Due to last year’s First Team All-NBA selection, this was going to be hard to do this year. But Westbrook has matched or eclipsed his career highs in scoring, rebounding, assists, and three point percentage so far. Moreover, advanced metrics place him as one of the league’s best defenders now, too.
Westbrook has taken over a larger role on the Thunder and become a better player at the same time.
Many fans hoped Russell Westbrook’s numbers would be crazy with Kevin Durant out of Oklahoma City. And those people aren’t disappointed. Triple-doubles are routine for him at this point. He is a few boards and points short of averaging a triple-double while leading the league in scoring. While some people will nitpick Westbrook, he has been an absolute force this year and is having a truly special season. Above all, nobody can say that he doesn’t deserve to be MVP this year.
Key Statistics
- 31.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 10.4 apg, 31.38 PER, 40.8 Usage
- Sixth in Win Shares, First in Box +/-, 22.8 Player Impact Rating (league leader), 44.7% field goal, fourth in Defensive Box +/-, 33.3% from three
- Thunder 8-6