NBA – Since he arrived at the Lakers, Russell Westbrook is only a shadow of the player he was. Maybe because he’s one-dimensional and the Lakers are stubbornly trying to change him.
In 1953, the philosopher Isaiah Berlin published an essay on Russian literature, The Hedgehog and the Fox. Essay on Tolstoy’s vision of History.
The metaphor for the title comes from a quote from the Greek poet Archilochus: “The fox knows many things, the hedgehog only knows one, but great.” Starting from this image, Isaiah Berlin distinguishes two types of thinkers, writers or human beings: “those who (…) relate everything to a single central vision, to a single more or less expressed and coherent system, thanks to which they understand, think, and feel – a unique and universal organizing principle, according to which everything they are, everything they say has a meaning – and (…) those who pursue several ends, often without any relationship between them, contradictory paths, linked (when they are) only de facto, by some psychological or physiological motive”. The first are similar to the hedgehog which rolls up on itself facing any situation, the second to the fox whose cunning testifies to a keen sense of observation.
I have often had this metaphor in mind when observing the career of Russell Westbrook, especially in recent years. The 2017 MVP thus seems to relate everything to a single central vision, a single system by which he understands, thinks and feels the game: namely the intensity and the physical pressure he can put on as soon as he has the ball in hand. .
Live and die by physical intensity
Since his arrival in the NBA, all his efforts seem focused on optimizing this scheme. Russell Westbrook only seems able to exist in this system where he can grab the rebound, push the ball and put pressure on the opposing defense. It is his alpha and his omega. This is what made him chain the seasons in triple doubles, become MVP and be the tireless engine of his teams. This is also what made him chain defensive oversights, which made him lose efficiency each time the game slowed down or he had to share the leather with another ball carrier.
His last statement, on his injury contracted while Darvin Ham had tested him as a 6th man, is in my eyes the ultimate proof that Russell Westbrook will remain a hedgehog until the end.
” Absolutely “he replied when asked if his hamstring injury was related to coming off the bench. “I had the same routine for 14 years straight. Honestly, I didn’t even know what to do before the game. To be honest, I was trying to figure out how to stay warm and ready. Especially the way I play, because I go fast, I push, I restart. It turns out that when I entered the game, I felt something. I thought it was…I didn’t know what it was, but I wasn’t going to risk it in a preseason game. But it was definitely not something I was used to. I was not warm enough. »
As he says: for 14 years, Russell Westbrook has built himself to shine in his system. His routine, physical and technical, he developed it for this purpose. This organizing principle, unique and universal, dictated his career, taking him very high, to now make him dive. That explains why he shied away when Frank Vogel wanted everyone to get the ball back last year at the Lakers. That explains why he’s lost when he’s placed 6th man. That explains why Charles Barkley or Paul George feel so uncomfortable in this Los Angeles team.
“Frankly, this team is not made for him, with this roster” explained his former Thunder teammate after the derby. “It has to work both ways. He was a guy who could easily go 30-10-10 when he had the keys to the team. It should not be forgotten. I just want him to find that joy, that excitement, that pleasure. That’s what makes him special, the fact that he can do this every night. I hate that it doesn’t seem to be the case for him. But hopefully in the end it will work out for him. »
“Let Russ be Russ…or die trying”
“Let Russ be Russ”. Let Russ be Russ. It was and still is the watchword of the 2017 MVP fans. It involves leaving the rebounds and the ball to Russell Westbrook, so he can put the intensity and the physical pressure he displayed since joining the league. This is probably to forget that at almost 34 years old, the leader has lost his explosiveness and efficiency, especially near the circle.
Last year, with 58% success within 1m20 of the rollbar, he was only in the 52nd percentile in terms of efficiency in this area. Never had it been so inefficient since its second season. But it’s also the advantage when you base your game on a single, very simple principle, the nuances are much more difficult to apply.
What deserves to be nuanced, however, is how responsible Russell Westbrook has been for his struggles since arriving in Los Angeles. Certainly, we have rarely seen in the NBA a hedgehog so much curled up on its principles (while the vast majority of players nevertheless rely on a few main strengths to make a career) and so reluctant to change. But the will of LeBron James and the Lakers to transform the Westbrook hedgehog into a fox, to now make it a “3&D” unlike what it has been for more than a decade, must also be questioned.
While waiting to see how the situation will be resolved, and even if I personally have never been a fan of his game, there is a painful feeling of unease seeing a player battling against so many outside elements. Like seeing a seriously injured hedgehog.
