Russell Westbrook is doing what seemed unthinkable and letting others take charge

Something so strange occurred Wednesday in the Thunder-Kings game that I had to go back to make sure it really happened.

Russell Westbrook checked back into a single-digit game with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and took only one shot.

His sole shot in the fourth came with 3:12 left, and was the result of him getting the ball back after he initially tried to pass off a wide-open three-point opportunity. When he got the ball, he shot it reluctantly, and as has been the case for him this season, he missed from behind the arc.

If Westbrook wasn’t shooting in the fourth, what was he doing?

Distributing the ball. When he came back in the game, he immediately assisted a Paul George three from the top of the key. Then he threw up an alley-oop for Nerlens Noel. After that: A dish for a George turnaround jumper from the left elbow, an alley-oop to Steven Adams, another alley-oop to Jerami Grant, a feed for a Grant three, an assist to Ferguson, another for George from an outlet pass, and finally an alley-oop to Ferguson. When Westbrook checked out five minutes later, he had added nine assists to his stats for the game and the Thunder were up by 20 points.

That fourth quarter was the complete opposite of the end of his third-quarter stint, when he took three bad shots — one of which an airball — and saw the Kings cut the OKC lead from 16 to eight. Westbrook seemed to want to play hero again, a role he’s relished for the last two seasons for the Thunder, but one that can be as detrimental to the team as it is exciting to watch. When he’s in full flow, Westbrook is almost unstoppable. But when he gets tunnel-vision and tries to do everything on his own, it often backfires and costs his team. This has been the story of his career.

Westbrook ended the game with a triple-double (though he did need 19 shots to score his 19 points), but another impressive stat line pales in comparison to fact that when he realized that it just wasn’t his day as a shooter, he simply stopped shooting.

The whole idea of “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” is that his explosive nature, whether it’s destructive or constructive, must be embraced because that’s just who he is. Most of the time, it’s for the best.

Two seasons ago, the team was hyper dependent on him in the absence of Kevin Durant. Though it appeared he was being selfish in his quest to average a triple-double for the season, the Thunder were only able to be successful because he took on the burden of the entire offense. They won more than 80 percent of the games in which he had a triple-double.

Last season, because of a confusion of roles that saw the Thunder’s offense struggle with everything from uneven shot distribution and lack of pace, Westbrook often had to reprise his role as savior to bail out the team. Rather than cohere as a potentially great offensive team, the trio of Westbrook, George, and Anthony stuck to their individual ways, which meant a lot of classic Westbrook: amazing, but nearly as often frustrating.

This season has been different. And the Thunder, at 20-10, are reaping the benefits.

Westbrook started off the season hurt, which immediately forced others to control the offense. But Westbrook had to change from within, too. The change seems to stem, in part, to a personal decision he made after doing his best this summer to make sure George re-signed with the Thunder.

But whatever the reason, there’s no denying that this is a new Westbrook. His usage rate — the percentage of possessions he ends with a shot, turnover, or drawn foul — has dropped from 32.5 percent last year to 29.4 percent this season, is lowest since his second season. Yet, he’s still averaging a triple-double. He has also gone from shooting 21.1 times a game to 18.6, which is fewer than George at 19.5.

George’s usage rate, in turn, has jumped from 24.7 to 27.6 percent. Anthony’s departure accounts for some of that increase, but it couldn’t have happened if Westbrook also didn’t feel comfort in letting George take more control of the offense.

The result is that George is having his best year ever. Coming into the game against the Kings, he was averaging nearly 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals per game, all career highs. He was nearly flawless against the Kings, with 43 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists in the victory. He took three shots before Westbrook took his first, and when Westbrook seemed on the verge of a meltdown after a few bad shots, a technical foul, and an offensive foul for pushing De’Aaron Fox, it was George — not Westbrook — who took control of the situation and calmed him and the Thunder down.

The same happened after Westbrook’s disastrous end to the third quarter. When Westbrook sat, George took over as he’s done all season and helped extend the lead enough to quell the immediate danger of a Kings comeback. He’s done similar things all season, which is why he belongs in the MVP conversation.

And while George’s defensive capabilities have always been well-regarded, Westbrook is also pulling his weight more on that end. While he’s still susceptible to losing his man, he finished the game against the Kings with six steals, many of which came from him jumping the lane or muscling his man off their position to get a hand on the pass.

Because of that, the Thunder have an ideal situation now: the best defense in the league and two superstars who work seamlessly together. They are one of the best and most well-rounded teams in the NBA, and arguably the top challenger in the West to the Warriors.

The Thunder are living a charmed life, one that harkens to when they were stewarded by Westbrook and Durant. Westbrook and George haven’t yet measured up in terms of achievement, but in the Durant era, the duo often seemed to play around each other. Westbrook did Westbrook, and Durant, because he was Durant, could always get his own points. Westbrook’s deference to George, so far, suggests a more mature and trusting relationship.

The real test will come in the playoffs, where memories of Westbrook taking 43 shots and George going 2-for-16 for five points in Game 6 against the Utah Jazz are still fresh and incriminating. It’s only in that situation, when the team is under enormous pressure, that we will know whether this new on-the-court relationship between Westbrook and George is real and stable.

Until then, this Thunder team is more exciting and less frustrating to watch than the last because Westbrook, whether after listening to his critics or some personal reflection changed his game. For all of his versatility, the one thing we thought Westbrook couldn’t do was let someone else take the spotlight.

Once again, he is proving that no one should say he’s incapable of anything.