Taj Gibson’s trade to Oklahoma City has been smooth thanks to Russell Westbrook

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The transition of moving from the Chicago Bulls team that drafted him in 2009 to an Oklahoma City Thunder franchise nearly 700 miles southwest was a lot easier than Taj Gibson envisioned it would be.

The Thunder acquired Gibson and Doug McDermott from the Bulls just hours before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, a move that helped add depth for an Oklahoma City team gearing for a playoff push. Uprooting himself from his second home was the most difficult part of the move.

“The hardest part was just really moving out from a place that you’ve been your whole career,” Gibson told reporters on Tuesday. “Learning a new system, learning the area. But being around these guys, they’ve made it so much easier for me. I’ve been having fun.”

His acclimation process was smoothed over by a pre-existing relationship with All-Star guard Russell Westbrook.

Gibson grew up in Brooklyn but spent three years playing college basketball at USC. Westbrook, a Los Angeles native, played two years at UCLA, just 45 minutes away. During that time, the two developed a bond unique to basketball players in the area.

“It’s just L.A.,” Westbrook told reporters after picking up his 33rd triple-double in a 122-104 win over the Nets. “Obviously, Taj is not from there. But just being at USC and being around in L.A. and hanging out and working out, and different things of that nature (helped us become friends). And once he got here, my job is to make his acclimation and the transition here very very easy for him. And that’s what I try to do.”

“I’m lucky enough to know him for a long time, being in California,” Gibson added.

Their on-court bond was palpable in the first quarter of the Thunder’s victory, the team’s third in a row.

Gibson scored 11 points in the opening period, while Westbrook nearly posted a double-double with nine points and eight assists. The possession after he found the ex-Bulls big man for a dunk in transition, the Thunder guard and his new running mate connected on a beautiful alley-oop that forced Nets coach Kenny Atkinson to call a timeout.

Half of Westbrook’s first-quarter assists were the result of a Gibson bucket.

In the 10 games he’s played in Oklahoma City since the trade, Gibson has shared 158 minutes with Westbrook. The Thunder outscore opponents by nine points per 100 possessions with that two-man lineup on the floor. They post a net rating of 10 with Gibson and Andre Roberson on the floor and 15.1 with he and Victor Oladipo on the court, according to data from NBA.com.

“Oh, definitely,” Westbrook said when asked if Gibson makes the game easier for him. “His voice, his ability to know what’s going on at all times is always key for me. Especially at the point guard position, he does a great job with that.”

Much of that voice and vision comes from his time under a mostly successful Chicago franchise all of his career.

Gibson was part of the Bulls team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals behind a 22-year-old Derrick Rose who became the youngest player to ever win the Most Valuable Player award.

In 2011, Rose averaged 25 points and 7.7 assists per game while leading Chicago to the Eastern Conference finals. The Bulls went on to lose in five games to the Miami Heat, who would lose to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

Gibson likened Westbrook’s play style to his former teammate and current New York Knicks point guard, but with a caveat.

“Yeah he reminds me, similar to that MVP year. Real explosive,” he said. “Getting everybody involved. Attacking the rim constantly. I think he’s got a little bit more explosiveness to him. He goes long periods of time, and he’s been doing it a long time in the NBA. So that’s the difference.”

After the win over Brooklyn, Westbrook is averaging 31.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game, leading the Thunder (38-29) to the Western Conference’s sixth seed. If he keeps his current pace, the Oklahoma City guard will join Oscar Robertson as the only player to average a triple-double for an entire season.

Gibson questioned whether he and his MVP-caliber teammate were of the same species when asked about Westbrook’s production this season.

“He makes the game so much easier for you,” he said. “And he’s so explosive. Some days I look at him like, ‘Is he human?’ But, I was lucky enough to play with a guy like Derrick Rose. And now to play with a guy like him is awesome.”