Russell Westbrook, traded to the Washington Wizards, is reuniting with another key piece of the Oklahoma City Thunder of old.
Former head coach Scott Brooks, who became the interim Thunder coach in Westbrook’s rookie season and served in OKC until 2015, is the head coach of the Wizards.
Fred Katz at the Athletic took a dive into their relationship and how the two grew close based on the trust and respect Westbrook had for Brooks.
In that first season together, Brooks inserted the rookie into the starting lineup as a point guard. He was met with raised eyebrows and questions about the positioning and whether Westbrook was a true PG. He didn’t back down.
Brooks, who was a backup point guard in the NBA from 1988-1998, told Katz:
“I took pride in Russell’s performance. I took pride in all of our guys. But as a point guard — a crappy, backup point guard — I knew that role very well. I saw the game through those eyes very well. And I knew that he had this ability to be special. Like, special.”
Even with that belief, Brooks wasn’t afraid to go at Westbrook with criticism and critique. Former Thunder guard Anthony Morrow recalled this to Katz.
“I’ve seen Scott chew his ass out before. And every single time that happened, Russ responded in a positive way. Every time … I think he respects it. He respects Scott. And I think that just seeing the way that they move, it was different than how they move with other people on the team.”
Despite that, Morrow said he never saw Westbrook yell back or get angry at Brooks.
“He just went out and responded on the court,” Morrow said.
Westrook credited Brooks with some of his success and the player he has turned into.
“Scottie was a huge part of the reason why I’m able to do some of the things I’m able to do now,” he said.
Together, Brooks, Westbrook and the rest of the group — which included Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and for some years, James Harden — went 338-207 overall over seven seasons, good for a .620 winning percentage, and made an NBA Finals appearance.
Now, the coach and the point guard — because yes, Westbrook is a point guard — are back together in Washington.
The full article can be read at The Athletic.
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