Time For Russell Westbrook To Prove His Star Power to Oklahoma City Thunder

By Kareem Gantt on October 13, 2014

As you may have heard, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder will be out for a while, which means it’s the end of the NBA world in Oklahoma City, at least if you talk to Thunder fans.

But I am here to tell them to fear not, as the Thunder were prepared for such a tragedy. Durant may be out, but the Thunder still has Russell Westbrook, and to paraphrase Jack Nicholson, the Thunder have one out of two superstars still healthy for them, and that isn’t bad. It’s not really, because Westbrook is an explosive scorer in his own right.

Durant’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for Westbrook, as the explosive guard will finally get the chance to show the rest of the NBA that he is capable of leading a team. The Thunder are going to have to lean on Westbrook while Durant is out because the talent level surrounding OKC’s superstars is still thin, which is the primary reason why the Thunder can’t break through in the West.

Westbrook is a 20 point, 7 assist type of player, and is fully capable of taking over a game. But throughout his whole career, he had Durant to lean on. That won’t be the case, at least at the start of the season, so this is Westbrook’s time to shine and possibly earn that superstar contract that he so covets.

If Westbrook proves his worth and can hold the Thunder above water, OKC could, and should, be in contention in the West by the time Durant is fully healed.

Kareem Gantt is an NBA featured writer for Rant Sports. For more from this author, ‘follow’ him on Twitter, ‘like’ him on Facebook, and ‘add’ him to your network on Google.