⌕/
Russell Westbrook · From the literal birth of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s existence, two luxuries have been all-but-guaranteed: off-court energy from a sellout crowd of 19,136, and on-court energy from one of its most loyal franchise faces. Accurately described as “lightning-quick” as a 20-year-old rookie, Russell Westbrook tests his feel for the professional game against Tyronn Lue and Andrew Bogut’s pick-and-roll coverage, ultimately using an elusive handle to encourage the pull-up middy, a soon-to-be go-to move. What occurred thereafter can only be labeled “The Russell Westbrook Experience”: decisive rim attacks to prompt drive-and-kick opportunities, an unstoppable motor, and, as attested over the next 11 years, a city eager to embrace every up-and-down. Victory belonged to the Milwaukee Bucks on October 29, 2008, but Westbrook’s potential illuminated through a 13-point NBA debut (on four-of-nine shooting), alongside four rebounds, four assists, one block, and a 3-pointer. Proving the commentator’s prediction true about a late-November push, Westbrook rode Year One’s momentum to a fourth-place Rookie of the Year finish, and eventually, nearly every award and accolade one could fathom over the ensuing decade. · State of Mint