A year after the Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook trade went down, returns are looking good for the Oklahoma City Thunder both short-term and long.
Bleacher Report put together its list of top 100 players this NBA season, and the site felt the current Thunder point guard was superior this year.
Paul was ranked the No. 13 player in the league. Westbrook came in at No. 22.
While Paul’s numbers of 17.7 points and 6.8 assists per game aren’t jaw-droppers, his impact on the team was obvious. Paul was dynamic in the clutch, effecient from the field — 60.% true shooting and 53% from midrange — and played late minutes in the All-Star game, which doesn’t impact rankings but does show how other players and coaches perceive him.
Westbrook’s first half of the season marred his total ranking, where his shooting percentages were historically bad. But since the Houston Rockets embraced super small-ball and traded Clint Capela, Westbrook has been as good as ever — and maybe the best he’s been, averaging 31.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 53% shooting from the field and 35% from deep since Capela’s final game on the Rockets.
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While Paul helped the Thunder stay competitive while transitioning, Westbrook has been an important part to the Rockets keeping an eye on a title chase.
The Thunder received draft picks and Paul while the Rockets got to reset the relationship between their two stars and remain competitive. There were reports that the relationship between Paul and Rockets star James Harden was “unsalvageable” the final summer they were teammates, though Harden later said that was blown out of proportion.
It’s not inconceivable to say this is a trade that both sides won.
That is something that won’t be clear for another decade, when the Thunder see just what the picks are that they received.
But in the meantime, both teams can be happy with their pieces and current situation.
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