Westbrook advances from minimal role to lottery pick
By David Woods
June 8, 2008 9:09 p.m.
Whether it was with a slashing drive to the hoop or a thunderous dunk over the opposition, UCLA’s Russell Westbrook proved time and time again this season that he is possibly one of the most improved players in the country.
During his freshman season, he played between five and 10 minutes per game.
This season, his role expanded to him becoming a 30-plus-minute starter, and he ended the year with a better assist per game average than starting point guard Darren Collison.
Lightly recruited out of high school because he didn’t hit his growth spurt until his senior season, Westbrook came to Westwood unheralded.
Midway through his sophomore season, national pundits began touting him as the best NBA prospect on UCLA’s roster ““ quite the feat considering his teammates were Kevin Love and Collison.
With a combination of good size for a point guard ““ he was measured at 6’2″ at the NBA draft camp ““ and explosive athleticism, Westbrook has established himself as a likely lottery pick in the NBA draft later this month.
Against Memphis in the Final Four, Westbrook was one of the few Bruins to have a good showing, scoring 22 points against a roster that included likely NBA players Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose.
That performance, more than anything, may have solidified Westbrook’s decision to go pro.
Though shy with the media, there was nothing quiet about Westbrook’s game.
He threw down dunks over players on both Oregon and California, and became something of a YouTube legend for his prowess in dunking on people.
Perhaps even more than his dunks, it was Westbrook’s defense that helped carry UCLA this year.
With his determination and the wingspan and athleticism of an NBA player, Westbrook was able to hold college basketball luminaries like Stephen Curry and O.J. Mayo to well below their season averages.
And now, barring injuries, he will take that skill set into the professional ranks.
