This upcoming season will be Russell Westbrook’s 12th season in the league. At the age of 32, the door for him winning a championship is closing.

In his time with the Thunder, Westbrook won his first and only MVP during the 2016-17 season, averaging 31.6 ppg and having 42 triple-doubles which broke Oscar Robertson’s single-season record. Westbrook also joined Oscar Robinson as the only other player to average a triple-double in a season.

Last season he was traded to the Rockets and was paired with his long-time buddy James Harden to compete in the West. Unfortunately, the Rockets got eliminated by the Lakers in the Semi-Finals. Westbrook then got traded to the Washington Wizards for John Wall.

This season Westbrook will be paired up with Bradley Beal and this will be Westbrook’s first time playing for a team in the Eastern Conference. Although the East has some top teams (Ex: Nets, Bucks, Heat, Celtics, etc.), it’s not as competitive as the Western Conference.

What the Wizards have to do to be a contender is allow Westbrook to be more aggressive driving to the basket as he did with the Rockets and play like he did when they were doing small-ball. Also, he has to be a much better shooter from the 3 as he has shot 27.7% last season.

What helps Westbrook is that Beal is a much better offensive player and a 3 point shooter than Westbrook and if Beal plays like he did during the 2019-2020 season it will be a difficult team to face.

Also with the 9th pick, the Wizards drafted Deni Avdija which is another playmaker and a shooter added to the starting lineup.

Another thing to watch out for is the play of Rui Hachimura. He has the talent to be a special player in the league. Going into his 2nd season, he needs to take the jump as a defender. If Hachimura wants to be as good as he can be, he’s going to have to defend the top PFs in the Eastern Conference (KD, Giannis, etc.).

The Wizards looked promising against the 76ers in their first game. If they can continue to grow and show they belong in the playoffs, they definitely can make some noise. The duo of Westbrook and Beal will absolutely be something to watch out for this season.

What do you guys think? Can Westbrook be the player that leads the Wizards to the playoffs and be a contender?