How would the Celtics look with Russell Westbrook?
Westbrook is a guy who can take the Boston Celtics to another level
After the acquisition of Al Horford the Boston Celtics already seem to be in much better shape than last year. Celtics’ GM Danny Ainge though, doesn’t consider this offseason to be over yet. Recent rumors suggest that Russell Westbrook could be on the move and the Celtics are among the frontrunners to sign him. Well, we don’t know yet if that’s even true but it is safe to assume that if Westbrook becomes available, the Celtics will be very much interested in him.
Danny Ainge has been linked with several players who could make a difference for the team such as Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin. Right now Russell Westbrook is in the spotlight as the superstar the Celtics are after. The Boston Celtics have a very attractive package in order to sign a player like Westbrook. Last season they won 48 games with Isaiah Thomas as their best player and even with just the signing of Al Horford they seem ready to challenge for the Eastern Conference Finals. They have an amazing coach in Brad Stevens, probably the best young coach in the NBA, a fantastic supporting cast and two All-Stars. The missing piece for them to become a title contender is an established superstar and Russell Westbrook fits the description perfectly.
If you seek a superstar to lead your team to the title, Russell Westbrook can be the answer as he is one of the top five players in today’s NBA. According to basketball-reference.com, his last season’s PER (27.6) was third in the league behind only Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. He was also third in Win Shares (14), second in Box Plus/Minus (10) and also second in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) with 8.3. So as we can see Russell Westbrook is certainly the guy who will bring more wins to your team immediately. Averaging 23.5 points per game last season and ranked 8th in the NBA, Westbrook will certainly be the top scoring option for the Celtics. He also averaged 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game and he is fairly described as a triple-double machine.
With Isaiah Thomas already in the roster, some may argue that Westbrook isn’t the best fit for Boston. Well even if Westbrook doesn’t fill a positional need for the Celtics, getting a player of his caliber is something that you can’t pass up. With his presence, the Celtics will make the biggest step towards an NBA title and if he is available at a price Danny Ainge is willing to pay, his position is perhaps the last thing that matters. Signing Westbrook means that probably Thomas goes to the bench and that’s a role he has been tremendous in. He can act as the sixth-man who can give instant scoring off the bench. However, Thomas has shown many times that he can be a great off-ball guard waiting to attack the basket or take the open shot, so I guess that he will be able to play alongside Westbrook especially during the closing minutes of the game.
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Theoretically, Westbrook suits perfectly in Brad Stevens’s pace and space offense. All the constant motion, ball movement and spacing will help him significantly and perhaps give him the easiest shots of his career. Boston also has many players who are great without the ball and can spread the floor which means more room and open lanes for Westbrook. The Celtics play at a fast pace (4th last season) and rely very much on transition points too. Imagine how much more efficient they will be having a guy like Westbrook running the floor in transition. Westbrook could also help in the pick-n-roll offense so as the Celtics will use it more often and with guys like Westbrook and Horford this action will be very tough to stop.
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If this potential trade does take place, the Celtics may have to give up a lot, but they will certainly go to the next level, so should Westbrook becomes available and the price is right for Ainge, I expect him to make his move.