Washington Wizards: Snubbed? 3 Reasons Russell Westbrook is not an All-Star

Russell Westbrook is not an All-Star because he’s been an inefficient scorer

Although always known as a prolific scoring machine, Russell Westbrook has never exactly been an efficient scorer. While not everyone can be Bradley Beal, the NBA’s leading scorer, comparing he and Westbrook’s numbers gives you a good look at how (in)efficient Westbrook has been. Westbrook is averaging just six fewer attempts from the floor each game than Beal is, but he’s averaging 13 fewer points than Beal. His 48.3 true shooting percentage with the Wizards is a career-low for Westbrook.

Some of Westbrook’s inefficiencies can be explained away by his injury. An ailing quad hindered Westbrook’s Wizards debut, and he struggled at the start of the season. Even though he was still getting triple-doubles — or close to it — Westbrook looked like a shell of the superstar that Wizards fans thought was arriving in Washington. However, Wetbrook is looking much better these days.  Since his 41-point triple-doulbe in an epic win over the Brooklyn Nets to close out January, Westbrook has been considerably better than he was earlier in the season.

Through the first 15 games of the season, Westbrook averaged 19 points on 38.1 percent shooting from the floor. Since then, when he has been healthy, Westbrook has been averaging 21 points on 41.3 percent shooting from the floor. One reason for Westbrook’s rise in efficiency is that he’s stopped attempting so many three-pointers and gotten back to his bread and butter: attacking the rim. Through the team’s first 15 games (Westbrook played in 10), Westbrook attempted 45 three-pointers. Over the last 14 games (Westbrook played in 12), he has only attempted 36 three-pointers.

Westbrook may have been too injured to put an All-Star resume together at the beginning of the season. Lately, however, we’ve gotten to see a healthier version of Westbrook. As a result, the Wizards have looked a whole lot better. Whether he’s an All-Star or not, Wetbrook is starting to gel with these Wizards.