Blake Griffin has taken notice of Russell Westbrook's performance thus far. Despite rumors, it may take a lot to reel in the slam-dunking power forward to fill the void left by Kevin Durant. (Photo : Getty Images/Kevin Winter)
Russell Westbrook has been doing fine so far, trying to fill in the superstar slot which he previously shared with Kevin Durant. Critics, fans, and players have taken notice such as Blake Griffin, ironically someone who was rumored to be returning to his hometown in Oklahoma.
The Thunder are 4-0 as of this writing but the real story is the monster numbers that Westbrook has piled up so far. Previously known to most as a ball hog, the all-star guard has magnificently contributed to other facets of the game aside from scoring.
So far, Russell Westbrook has been trying to do it all. He has been putting up a series of triple-doubles which have already placed him in the record books. In fact, the Thunder superstar guard just became the first player to do so since Earvin “Magic” Johnson of the 1982-83 Los Angeles Lakers did the trick, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Among the NBA stars who have praised Westbrook include Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers. The slam-dunking forward seems to be expecting the monstrous run from Westbrook especially since the 27-year-old guard has better control of the team.
But the fact remains that the Thunder still lack a forward to replace the slot vacated by Kevin Durant who opted to bring his act to the Golden State Warriors. Blake Griffin has been mentioned as a suitable replacement to pick up the slack.
All that may be remotely happening with Griffin rumoured to be signing an extension soon and the Clippers wanting him to retire as a Clipper, CBS reported. This is despite the issues that have colored Griffin’s career, particularly during the 2015-16 NBA season.
Until Griffin is officially signed by the Clippers, dishes of a possible stint with the OKC Thunder will remain. Assuming for some reason that he does end up donning the Thunder uniform, can Blake Griffin and Russell Westbrook co-exist?
Westbrook has been known to want the ball on his hands most of the time so it will be interesting how frequent he would feed Griffin down low. In a way, a Griffin-Westbrook partnership may have some issues but all these are fantasy scenarios for now.
