In an Oklahoma City Thunder 139-136 victory last night in double overtime over the Orlando Magic, superstar Russell Westbrook put up an astounding 48 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Combine that with what he did in his debut on the road against the San Antonio Spurs and you got yourselves two double-doubles already, not to mention scoring at least 30 points each game. Westbrook might have only been ranked No. 5 in our MVP rankings before the year started, but if he continues putting up these kinds of numbers, the league will have no choice but to give him the trophy once the regular season expires.

Every year, the NBA is becoming more of a guard oriented league, and young superstars like Westbrook and Stephen Curry epitomize that. Curry has already put great numbers himself, but Westbrook does so much more. His tenacity on the court is a thing of beauty, and his ability to affect all aspects of the game turns back the clock to basketball greats such as Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. A few weeks ago, Robertson said that Westbrook is “the best one-on-one player in the [entire] NBA.” That says a lot

The Thunder are bound to make serious noise in 2015-16 and Westbrook is at the pinnacle of his career. With a healthy partner in Kevin Durant, as well as a brand new coaching staff, this kid from UCLA has everything he needs to prove his worth this year. The only thing that would hold him back now is an injury; knock on wood.

Samuel Martell is Oklahoma City’s beat writer at www.RantSports.com. To stay connected, ‘follow’ him on Twitter, ‘like’ him on Facebook, or ‘add’ him to your network on Google.