Sideline Report: Good Russ is making Denver's best players better
Today's guest post is from MITWestbrook, a legendary r/NBA Reddit poster.
Russell Westbrook's impact goes way beyond his True Shooting percentage.
The most important stats for playmakers are points created per 36 minutes, and on/off metrics for EFG% and points per 100 possessions. On/off for Effective Field Goal percentage (EFG%) shows the impact of a playmaker on their teammates' shot quality. On/off on points per 100 shows the actual impact the playmaker has on the scoreboard.
| Player | Metric | Westbrook On | Westbrook Off | DIFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jokic | Pts per 100 | 45 | 35 | 10 |
| Murray | EFG% | 56 | 45 | 11 |
| MPJ | EFG% | 61 | 57 | 4 |
Playmakers should be getting the best scorers the ball where they want it. This is different from LeBron James' style, where the creator is trying to get the defense to react and double so they can throw it to a random player to shoot a 3. That style doesn't emphasize feeding the best scorers on the floor.
Westbrook has made his impact on the Nuggets offense, way beyond his TS%. Individual shooting metrics are not that useful for players like Westbrook, especially when he shoots a relatively low volume (his 14.9 shots per-36 this season is nearly a career low). He's focusing on getting the best players more and better shots, elevating the EFG% and points per 100 for each of his teammates.
Westbrook coming off the bench for the Clippers last year:
| Player | Metric | Westbrook On | Westbrook Off | DIFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumlee | EFG% | 66 | 51 | 15 |
| Coffey | EFG% | 63 | 53 | 10 |
| Zubac | EFG% | 67 | 64 | 3 |
| George | EFG% | 58 | 56 | 2 |
| Kawhi | EFG% | 60 | 58 | 2 |
| Zubac | Pts per 100 | 25 | 21 | 4 |
| George | Pts per 100 | 35.4 | 33.9 | 1.6 |
Those stats are pretty drastic, but James Harden is also a good passer to bigs. The stats were more drastic with the Lakers in his last season there (2022-23):
| Player | Metric | Westbrook On | Westbrook Off | DIFF |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis | Pts per 100 | 38.4 | 35.6 | 2.8 |
| Wenyen | Pts per 100 | 23.7 | 12.3 | 11.4 |
| Bryant | Pts per 100 | 30 | 25 | 5 |
| LeBron | Pts per 100 | 39.2 | 38.1 | 1.1 |
| Davis | EFG% | 62 | 55 | 7 |
| Wenyen | EFG% | 66 | 55 | 11 |
| Bryant | EFG% | 75 | 64 | 11 |
| LeBron | EFG% | 57 | 53 | 4 |
Westbrook is clearly elite at elevating big men to score more and at higher efficiencies. He's one of the only point guards in the NBA who still focuses on feeding them.
The Lakers are still missing a piece like Russ to unlock Anthony Davis, LeBron, and the rest of their fronctourt. If Los Angeles still had Westbrook, they would be #1 in the West.