Russell Westbrook Is Still ‘Elite’ At Something The Miami Heat Don’t Have
And you could go through the entire Miami Heat roster this way, however, none of them offer what Russell Westbrook still does from an explosive ability to be able to attack opposing teams’ paint and force their whole defense to collapse.
The thing about Westbrook, still to this day, is this. When he drives the lane, it’s to do something immediately before the defense has a chance to react, collapse, or put him in a position where he has to attempt a wonky pass.
Again and simply put, the Miami Heat just don’t have that. And yes, while they are other areas to address on the team, what Westbrook still does at a high level can only serve to improve the existing parts of your team that you might look to strengthen outside of adding, say, a Westbrook.
His ability to collapse defenses would strengthen your shooters, your bigs, and anyone that can benefit from having a defender being totally occupied by a threat at the rim. Basically—that’s everybody else on the team.
And on top of it all, they do have two spots and the ability to bring in as many guys. So, why shouldn’t Russ be one of those?