When Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets this past offseason it took a minute to process. After all, this was the one player synonymous with the OKC Thunder franchise and identity. Prior to the trade, there were those who thought Westbrook would defy the odds and be a lifer in OKC.
That wasn’t always the case as many earmarked chosen son Kevin Durant to fill those shoes. But, his departure in the summer of 2016 was also the catalyst for Westbrook to vault into that role. In one fell swoop, Westbrook became the chosen one while simultaneously easing the pain of Durant’s defection to the team OKC had on the ropes 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals the season prior.