Russell Westbrook Will be the NBA’s Best Player in 2018

July 23, 2017 Farzam Rahman Leave a comment

Passion. Explosiveness. Heart. One could go on with one-word adjectives trying to explain the dynamo that is Russell Westbrook. Truth be told, he is a superstar who simply cannot be explained. Yet, it does not matter to Westbrook what your opinion is of his game. Just ask Steph Curry: Westbrook on Steph Curry.

Westbrook will dominate. If given a spotlight, he will take it. If he is given a challenge, he will attack it ferociously. Therefore, if you are an NBA fan, you are better off simply admitting that Westbrook will be the best player in the league next season. That’s right; not LeBron James, not Kevin Durant. It will be Russell Westbrook.

The league’s most exciting player took the NBA by storm last season; Westbrook averaged a triple double for an entire season and achieved the feat an incredible 42 times over the course of the entire year. It does not stop there as he led the league in scoring and willed a very young Oklahoma City Thunder team to the sixth seed in a competitive Western Conference. His incredible season was appropriately capped off with an MVP award, winning the award against the likes of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron, who all had tremendous years on their own accounts.

Yet, despite all of this, certain analysts and critics alike downplayed the season that Westbrook had. They labeled him a “stat-padder,” a triple-double chaser, and somehow a ball-hog (the guy had double digit assists, so I am as confused as you are). They claimed that Westbrook was a guy that no star could ever win with, and that he was doomed for the rest of his career. They even marginalized the importance of the MVP award, saying that Westbrook was simply chasing the award the entire year. Well, as DJ Khaled would say, Westbrook chose to stay away from “they.” He has done so for most of his career, and he thrived off of it this past season. Westbrook is no stranger to the unfair criticism as comments like these have only fueled him.

Russell Westbrook is without a doubt one of the five best players in the league. Some may even say he cracks the top three, but with the moves that the Thunder have made this season, they will be a title contender and Westbrook will take the throne.

This past season was supposed to be an uphill climb for the Thunder, and it was. They had the second-youngest team in the league last season, and were still one of the ten best teams in the NBA. The team dynamic completely changed after giving up Durant and Serge Ibaka. The only viable scoring option on the wing was a young Victor Oladipo, who was accustoming himself to playing with Westbrook the entire year. In a league dominated by the three ball, the Thunder were playing four-on-five the entire season on offense, simply because of Andre Roberson’s inability to shoot. Westbrook played with Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, and Domantas Sabonis as well who, just like Oladipo and Roberson, are all either 25 years of age or younger. He was the only veteran on his team in an era where most competing teams have two to three All-Star caliber players in their starting lineup.

In addition to all of this, the Thunder displayed some of the worst bench production in the league. Yet, Westbrook led his team to the playoffs where they eventually fell to a Houston team loaded with offensive weapons (the series was much closer than the 4-1 final line). These statements alone should tell you enough about how he will become the best player in the league, but I will continue.

In that series against Houston, the Thunder outplayed the Rockets four times, but only took one of those games and lost the series convincingly (Game 1 was a blowout). The Thunder outscored the Rockets by an average of five points a game when he was on the court, but were outscored by over 50 points per 100 possessions when he was off the court.

The Thunder now have Paul George, who will give Westbrook exactly what he didn’t have last year: a consistent starter and premium catch-and-shoot player. Having him on the wing is significant because George was second in the league in catch and shoot points per game last year. Westbrook’s game is built off of penetrations that allow him to score or kick out to teammates. For most of last year, he did not have a single consistent spot-up shooter to work with. This season, the Thunder will have George, Patrick Patterson, and Raymond Felton new to the roster. They also still have Doug McDermott and Alex Abrines, who are key sharpshooters that did not get too much of an opportunity last season. I emphasize these players because they will allow Westbrook to fix his two glaring flaws (if you can call them that): turnovers and 3-point shooting.

Westbrook is constantly criticized for his high turnover ratio, but this is expected with the amount of time he has the ball in his hand. With catch-and-shoot players threatening on the outside, however, Westbrook will be tough to defend when playing his game. He will not have to make risky plays, because defenses will not be focused on just him. If defenses try to contain him, Westbrook will have no problem passing the ball. As for 3-point shooting, Westbrook shot a career high from that range last season. This year, he will have more space to operate and is no longer the only threat to score. He as at the peak of his basketball ability, and now has a roster that complements his game perfectly.

The claim that Westbrook will be unable to succeed with George is fair. George is nowhere near the superstar that Durant is, and Westbrook could not win with him, so how could he win this year? Durant got sick of playing with Westbrook, so how can George possibly get along with him? Would it be crazy to say that maybe Durant was the problem for the Thunder?

By the end of Durant’s tenure, Westbrook was slowly taking the team over. It is obvious that Durant was AND is the best scorer in the game today, but Westbrook was dominating the floor in all aspects. He outplayed the two-time MVP on defense in a series against the Warriors. He dominated on the boards, played solid defense, and scored his fair share. When he did struggle, Westbrook got his teammates involved. The 3-1 lead that the Thunder had on the Warriors was due largely in part to Westbrook’s play. Durant’s departure unraveled the greatest all-around season of basketball in the modern era. Westbrook was seen as selfish for trying to be the star, but after seeing all the talent he displayed last season, was he wrong?

Westbrook has always had the ability. He has always had the athleticism. His skillset is now fine-tuned. He already had an entire year of unleashing fury and proving to the world that no one can stop him on his day. Now, it is time to win. People never saw coming what Westbrook accomplished last year. Those same people will be shocked when he puts the Thunder back in contention for an NBA title and becomes the league’s undisputed best player.

Tennis

The Young Guns: The Future of Tennis

July 22, 2017 vedantiyer Leave a comment

Roger Federer. Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic. Andy Murray. These four tennis superstars, collectively known as the Big Four, have ruled tennis for the past decade, with each of them taking a turn at the top. In total, they have won 48 out of the last 56 Grand Slam dating back to Federer’s first Wimbledon in 2003. . For the past 14 years, they have dominated almost every tournament and produced one of the biggest rivalries of all time: Federer vs. Nadal.

This past year has been a throwback to the years of Federer-Nadal dominance. Though both players appeared to be declining veterans, Federer won this year’s Australian Open and Nadal won the French Open last month. Though the Big Four are now all over the age of 30, they do not seem to be slowing down in any way.. However, there will come a time in the (hopefully distant) future when they will all retire, relinquishing their hold on the tennis world. Injuries and lack of motivation might start to creep in as the years roll by, and eventually a new generation of tennis players will take over.

Some of these players have been labeled as the NextGen by many tennis experts and commentators because the Big Four’s dominance has stretched for so long.. These players are only 21 and younger, but have been marked as stars to watch in the future. Although the NextGen stars are considered exciting, there are some players in their mid-20s who could also possibly usurp the Big Four. With many new players starting to break onto the professional tennis scene, here are some of the players who will most likely bring the dawn of a new tennis era.

Alexander Zverev Jr.

Age: 20
Country: Germany
NextGen: Yes
Ranking: 12

Alexander “Sascha” Zverev is a tennis player from Germany who is considered one of the brightest NextGen tennis players. Tennis runs in his blood, as his parents both played tennis for the Soviet Union., His older brother, nicknamed “Mischa,” is also a professional tennis player and is ranked number 30 in the world. After turning professional in 2013, he has continuously been on the rise since proceeding to the semifinals of his first ATP tour event in 2014. In 2015, he broke into the top-100 and made it to his first Grand Slam competition at Wimbledon. He broke into the top-20 the following year. In 2016, he impressed many by competing with many of the top players, defeating his idol Roger Federer, and winning his first ATP title against 2016 US Open Champion Stan Wawrinka. . This year he made even bigger strides by breaking into the top-10 and winning his first ATP Masters tournament (a level below Grand Slams) against Novak Djokovic. His keys to success have been his strong, fast serve and his solid, dependable backhand.

Dominic Thiem

Age: 23
Country: Austria
NextGen: No
Ranking: 8

23-year-old Dominic Thiem of Austria has also been touted as one of the greatest players of this upcoming generation. After choosing to become a pro in 2011, he advanced to his first ATP final and the Fourth Round of the US Open in 2014. Since then, he has worked on his game to become a strong baseliner, using an aggressive one-handed backhand, which is rarely seen in someone so young. In 2015, despite not doing too well at the Grand Slams, he still consistently excelled on the ATP World Tour,, winning three ATP titles through his determination. By ascending in the rankings, Thiem entered a tournament as the top seed and finished the year ranked number 18.. Thiem translated his ATP Tour success to Grand Slams in 2016. A very strong clay court player, he upset then 9-time French Open champion, Rafael Nadal, en route to winning an ATP title on clay. At the French Open, he eventually reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time, which propelled him to number 7 in the world. In 2017, so far, he has won his eighth ATP title and advanced to his first Masters final. On the clay courts again, he recorded some major upsets by defeating Nadal at the the Rome Masters and demolishing Djokovic at the French Open in straight sets. His aggressiveness, consistency, and strong mentality has made him one of the greatest of his generation.

Milos Raonic

Age: 26
Country: Canadian
NextGen: No
Ranking: 7

The big-serving Canadian known for his philanthropic deeds is also one of the most promising players of his age. Despite being 26-years-old and turning pro nine years ago, he has come into his own in the last couple of years. The Big Four’s dominance overshadowed his achievements when he was in his early 20s, but he has been one of the few players who has slowly narrowed the gap and challenged the sport’s titans. Until 2010, Raonic mainly played in small ATP tournaments and qualified for the Grand Slams occasionally, but lost quite early. However, in 2011, he broke ground when he reached the Fourth Round of the Australian Open as a qualifier, the first to do so since 1999. Many former players praised Raonic, and he backed it up by winning his first ATP title to reach a career high of world number 25. In 2013, he consistently achieved success at many ATP tournaments and broke into the top-10 for the first time. In 2015, he reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time. Additionally, he reached the ATP World Tour Finals, a tournament where only the top eight players play, and was ranked as high as number four. Last year saw a new Raonic, as he was more consistent and determined than before. His hard work came to fruition when he reached the finals of Wimbledon, and ascended to world number three. His strong forehand, serve and prowess on all surfaces has allowed him to grow into a strong player who could be the heir to the Big Four.