Russell Westbrook finishes every pregame routine the same way, standing out of bounds deep in the left corner, slightly behind the backboard. He holds the ball under an arm, taking in bets from team staffers. One try? Two tries? Four tries?

Whenever it goes down -- most often after one or two attempts -- Westbrook will hold his pose for a split second, then sprint through the tunnel and to the locker room.

It seems he has spent his career set on proving to no one in particular he's a good shooter. This is just one example. Westbrook is confident he needs only one try to make that pregame shot. And if he doesn't make it, the next one's for sure going down.

Westbrook's relationship with the 3-pointer is a complicated one. It's a shot he loves to take, but one that doesn't always love him back. Each one is released with an unflinching, unwavering resolve, albeit from the hand of a career 31 percent shooter from behind the arc. It's been an ongoing struggle.

"I need to stop taking as many as I'm taking, to tell you the truth," Westbrook said in 2014. "I'm going to take those down as the season goes along.

"It's not always a great shot for myself or my team. So I've got to do a better job of taking those out. My advantage is attacking, regardless of who's in front of me. That's my advantage. And I've got to use my advantage to help my team and help myself."

After he said that, he went 0-of-5 from 3 the next game. It was classic Westbrook, with self-awareness and self-belief at war with each other. Like Tiger with his driver, or Fergie with the national anthem. It's the battle Westbrook has waged with himself for much of his career.

This season, out of 159 qualified 3-point shooters, Westbrook ranks 158th in percentage. During last season's MVP campaign, Westbrook was free to fire unfettered. He attempted a career-high 7.2 3-pointers per game, hitting a career-best 34.3 percent. Some of his most memorable moments came from behind the arc, like the shot against Orlando, or the shot against Memphis, or the shots against Boston, or the shot against Denver.

But with a remade roster bringing in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony, the necessity of Westbrook carrying the 3-point burden was lightened. And the ask from the coaching staff was redistribution. Turn this shot for yourself into that shot for someone else. Take a 28 percent look off the dribble from straightaway and make a 41 percent look for Alex Abrines in the corner. Or if you've got to take one, just make it better for yourself. Even going back to Scott Brooks' tenure, there's a specific kind of 3 coaches like Westbrook taking. He's a much different shooter when he's in rhythm -- feet set under his shoulders, on balance, not off the dribble.

Old habits were dying hard with Westbrook taking 6.7 a game in November, coinciding with some of the roughest moments of OKC's season. The wake-up call came Dec. 9 against Memphis. Westbrook went 1-of-12 from 3. The Thunder were beginning their transformation from a disjointed mess to defining roles and responsibilities, and within that was a clear decision from Westbrook to start taking fewer 3s.

Asked about the obvious adjustment after a December game in which he attempted only one 3-pointer, Westbrook wasn't interested in conceding he was making a change. "You gotta win, that's all I care about" was his response. Outside of a game George missed against the Bucks, Westbrook didn't attempt more than five in a game for a month. In January, he took 2.6 a game (the Thunder went 10-4). In March, he's at 2.4 a game (they're 7-3). When Westbrook attempts three or fewer 3s, the Thunder are 26-7. Make it four or fewer, and they're 32-12. If he takes five or more, they're 10-17.

"Just trying to figure out the game," Westbrook said of taking fewer 3s. "You see how can you help your team, help yourself improve, and that's what I try to figure out throughout the season."

Over the past three months, Westbrook has largely resisted the siren song of the 3, working to adjust his shot selection. More deep paint attacks, more elbow "cotton shots." It has been a consistent topic in film sessions with Westbrook, who is highly self-critical, teammates say.

When Westbrook is selective, the Thunder execute better. He breaks down defenses as well as anyone in the NBA, and the Thunder are at their best when he's using that skill. Maybe the best example of it was in Toronto last Sunday when Westbrook shot 15-of-22 from the floor and just 1-of-1 from 3 in a Thunder win. He was a relentless wrecking ball of rim attacks, playing almost exclusively below the free throw line.

Westbrook is near a career-high in field goal percentage this season (45.1), despite shooting a near career-low from 3 (28.9). The reason for that is he's shooting a career-best 49 percent on 2-pointers. Efficiency has never been a Westbrook strength, but that's mostly because he's his own worst enemy. He can't resist inefficient shots. Never in his career has he had a whole month of shooting 50 percent or better from the field (he's at 52.6 percent in March so far).

"As long as he's taking good ones, and they're ones that are on balance and uncontested, I feel confident with him shooting 3s," Billy Donovan said. "He understands that a lot of these teams are trying to load up and protect the deep paint, and they want him taking those shots. Because you're not going to take everything away, so you're going to have to live with something.

"And I think he's done a really great job lately of getting into the lane and realizing, 'OK, these teams are loading up, and now I've got to spray it around and find people.' It's just him evaluating how our group's being defended."

Westbrook is a highly intellectual player. He obsessively studies film, often waking up teammates on the plane to go over a play. But being able to get any shot, any time, can be a curse. In some ways, to get the best of Westbrook, you have to indulge his worst inhibitions. Really, that goes for almost any star. It's always just a matter of situation and circumstance.

"Reading what a good shot is, based on time and score of the game, based on the shot clock, based on my position," Westbrook said. "There's a lot of things that go into it. It's a lot of things that you think about based on when to shoot it or when not to."

Source:
courtesy of ESPN

by Royce Young

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