Russell Westbook, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder (42-36, 9th in the West)
27.5 PPG
8.6 APG
7.2 RPG
Last year, his Thunder teammate Kevin Durant was named NBA MVP, and this year it looks like Russell Westbrook has an off chance to claim that honor as well. With Durant playing only 25 games before being declared shut down until the 2015-2016 season, Westbrook has kept OKC afloat, and within striking distance of the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. For lack of a better term, Westbrook has been playing out of his mind, posting a league high 11 triple doubles. He recorded insane numbers in the month of March, nearly averaging a triple double with 31.9 points, 11.2 assists, and 9.7 rebounds. Still, despite the UCLA-alum’s career year, his Thunder find themselves in an unlikely situation–one they haven’t faced in years. The Thunder are currently have the same record as the upstart Pelicans, who, as of this morning, own the last spot in the Western Conference playoffs, but Anthony Davis‘ squad owns the tiebreak over Westbrook and company. One thing is for sure: Westbrook’s squads failure to make this years playoffs will result in his MVP hopes vanishing as well.
