Thunder coach Scott Brooks does not stagger his superstars’ minutes, which presents an interesting challenge when one of said superstars is unavailable. Kevin Durant will be out until at least December with a foot fracture, leaving Russell Westbrook in charge. As folks have noted since KD’s injury was announced, Westbrook barely played without Durant last season.
This chart shows how little Russell Westbrook plays without Kevin Durant
Hint: it’s very little.
Stephen Dunn
But that’s actually a long-standing issue, as this cake chart shows.
Of those 1,557 minutes Westbrook has played without Durant in his career, 669 came in Westbrook’s rookie season (2008-09). If you look at just the past five seasons, 94 percent of Westbrook’s minutes have come with Durant also on the court.
We’re truly in a Brave New World in OKC.
