The year of Russell Westbrook is here

This is the dawn of the Russell Westbrook era in Oklahoma City.

With Kevin Durant going to the Golden State Warriors to form the scariest collection of stars that the NBA has ever seen, Westbrook is now front and center as the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The oft-threatened narrative is finally here. He finally has his own team.

That also means that Westbrook now has complete freedom to be himself, which is a scary prospect for opposing NBA teams.

When Durant broke his foot in the 2014-15 season, Westbrook put together one of the greatest runs in NBA history in nearly leading OKC to the playoffs by himself. He recorded 11 triple-doubles by huge margins, becoming the single focal point of their attack with his scoring and creativity.

Even though every opponent knew the Thunder’s success depended entirely on Westbrook, he was still largely unstoppable. That season, he won the scoring title also averaging nearly nine assists and more than seven rebounds per games. His average line when tallying a triple-double: 41 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds

When Durant returned this season, most assumed Westbrook would have to take a step back to accommodate the former MVP. Instead, that half-year without Durant created an even better Westbrook that could now affect the game in all manners. While his scoring average naturally dropped, he recorded a whopping 18 triple-doubles, the highest number in the league. His average line in those 18 games: 34 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds.

Without Durant, it looks like Westbrook is just getting started.

Durant has left and the Thunder will rightfully be seen as underdogs from now on. The hole left by a player of his caliber cannot possibly be filled by one or two replacements alone. It is highly unlikely that the Westbrook-led Thunder will ever reach the same heights as they did with Durant also there.

But admit it: this is the perfect backdrop to a Westbrook MVP season.

Even with Durant, we know Westbrook is generally a lethal player. But when his back is against the wall and he has no other option but to carry his team night in and night out, he becomes something that can only be described as otherworldly. As his 2014-15 run showed, that’s when he shatters the reality of what an NBA player and human being is supposed to be capable of doing.

The dream of a Durant/Westbrook partnership winning the NBA championship is dead. So might the chances of the Thunder winning much at all with this new look. This one certainly won’t be as successful, but it will be extremely fun nonetheless.

That might not be much of a consolation to sad Thunder fans, but the upshot is we’ll now see the dramatic new possibilities Westbrook can unveil. While it is dishonest to say that Durant restricted Westbrook, his very presence meant that Westbrook couldn’t be all that he can be. That type of transformation usually requires isolation and desperation.

That’s what Westbrook has now. Desperation not only to prove his individual ability, but also his ability to carry a good team by himself. He will be desperate to win the MVP award that has continuously eluded him and desperate to push the limits of what one man can do for a team.

He’ll be driven to show that his partnership with Durant was somehow a personal handicap. He will seize the chance to finally show world what he has always believed: that he is the best player in the league. Now, he has the isolation and necessity to chase those ambitions.

The Thunder’s front office will surely push this idea to Westbrook as his own free agency looms next summer. They will stress that they all depend on him now and the city is behind him. They know their hopes and futures will live and die by what Westbrook does on the court.

This could end badly, of course. Westbrook could get injured, which would plummet the Thunder to the bottom of the NBA standings. Westbrook could also start thinking of his own departure, forcing the Thunder to either trade him while they can or to start building for the future.

That would relegate their franchise to irrelevancy, something it hasn’t experienced since leaving Seattle. Or, Westbrook could very well just write off the season in frustration. But this is Russell Westbrook. That is not how he’s wired.

This is the same player that said the unanimous MVP was nothing he hadn’t seen before. The same player that has turned the one-man fast break into an art form. The same player who called former teammate Reggie Jackson “just another player, another team,” then threatened to retaliate when Jackson celebrated too much after the Pistons beat the Thunder in a meaningless regular-season game. The same player that openly laughs, shoves away and dismisses players who try to interfere with his pregame dance routine.

Westbrook has also mocked the criticisms of his play by improving every year. Not by changing his style, as he was repeatedly pressured to do, but rather by becoming even more of what he is. Rather than succumb to the chaos he creates, he relishes it.

When faced with a challenge, Westbrook grows in stature. He runs full steam ahead, jumps from the free-throw line and dunks on whatever obstacle stands before him. That’s how he’s always been.

Life after Kevin Durant will be no different. While the Thunder’s status as title contenders is likely over, the idea of an unhinged Westbrook is something that should excite everyone. He can now finally be at his best.