Russell Westbrook from Villain to Rocket Fan Favorite

Overtime Heroics Editorial

2049 days ago

There are times in movies when the villain changes his stripes and become the hero. Apollo Creed was the antagonist in the first Rocky and by the third Rocky, they were best friends. The Houston Rockets now have their own Rocky III movie this season with Russell Westbrook and their fans.

Villain Westbrook

For 11 years, Westbrook was the Oklahoma City Thunder. He battled players like Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin. The rivalry really picked up when the sixth man of the year, James Harden, was traded to the Houston Rockets before the 2012 season. The disdain between the two organizations hit another level after this play.

As we know, Patrick Beverly plays one way hard and from the opening buzzer to the final whistle. Westbrook was done for the rest of the playoffs after Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus. Many Thunder fans believe their team would have won the championship this year.

During this time, Beverly was probably the most popular player on the Rockets. This would continue in 2017-18 when Harden and Westbrook were battling for MVP. Both sides went back and forth, arguing who should win. Most Rockets fans thought Westbrook was stat-padding and wasn’t a winning player. Amazing how circumstances change your perspective on people.

Westbrook the Hero

Before the season started, the Rockets pulled off a blockbuster trade bringing Westbrook to the Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul. This trade brought conflicting emotions for fans, like when Charles Barkley was brought to Houston in the late 90s.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, league sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2019

Everyone knew it would take time not only for Westbrook to get used to his new team but for Rockets fans to embrace Westbrook. It was a slow start to the season for Westbrook as he struggled the first two months of the season. Russell Westbrook was coming off off-season surgery and was playing with injured fingers. To start the season, Westbrook was shooting under 25 percent from 3-point range.

The last month, Russell Westbrook has regained his MVP form, abandoned 3-point shooting, and relentlessly attacks the basket.

Once again, Russell Westbrook did not attempt a 3-pointer during the game. He has now taken one 3-point attempt over the past 4 games.

Westbrook: 45 points (16-27 shooting, 13-13 FTs), 10 assists. #Rockets https://t.co/XyOii6JyJw

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 25, 2020

Westbrook scored 30 or more points for six of the last seven games. With Harden struggling with injuries and his shot, Westbrook has picked up the slack to help the Rockets to back-to-back wins. Westbrook is averaging 25.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. Those numbers make Westbrook the best teammate Harden has had since being traded to the Rockets.

If Westbrook continues his MVP play and the Rockets go on to win a championship, the villain will become the hero and save the day.

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