Opposing NBA coach says Russell Westbrook will have ‘an all-time year off the ball’ with Rockets

As soon as the Houston Rockets acquired Russell Westbrook, skeptics immediately began to howl their concerns on his fit next to another ball-dominant player like James Harden. However, an opposing NBA coach who spoke with Keith Smith of RealGM during Summer League thinks Westbrook will have a field year playing off the ball:

“I bet he has an all-time year off the ball. He’s a fantastic cutter, but never got to use it much because the Thunder’s passing stunk. (James) Harden will dime him up a ton on baseline cuts. If they can get Westbrook to play at like 80% speed sometimes, it will best for him and them. I don’t know if he’s wired that way though. If he insists on being ‘the man’, it will be a problem. But I bet him and Harden have already talked and are ready to make it work.”

We already saw Harden and Westbrook together when they were both with the Thunder for four seasons. However, that dynamic never really unfolded to its full potential because Harden was traded in the summer of 2012.

Since then, the two have become arguably the most ball-dominant players in the league. This is why concerns of fit quickly arose when the Rockets reunited the two MVPs on their roster.

Ideally, everything the anonymous coach said makes sense. Westbrook should make for a terrific cutter given his explosiveness off the bounce. The 2016-17 MVP didn’t have the luxury of having another elite playmaker next to him during most of his time with Oklahoma City, especially since the infamous Harden deal. Harden should also be capable of playing off the ball as he is great a spot-up shooter as well.

The real concern for the Rockets is whether James Harden and Russell Westbrook are willing to sacrifice and change their games at this point of their careers to make this dynamic work. The two seem to be on the same page so far, and they are already excited to get the season rolling.

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