As your fantasy basketball playoffs draw to a close, in keeper leagues now becomes time to evaluate your roster and determine who to keep around for next year. Over the coming months, we’ll take a deeper look at the validity of some players as keepers on your team. In our first installment, we looked at Memphis Grizzlies PF Zach Randolph. In this edition, we'll examine Oklahoma City Thunder PG Russell Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook
16.4 ppg, 7.9 apg, 4.9 rpg, 1.30 spg, .815 ft%
Westbrook is only finishing his second season, but he's quietly become one of the better point guards in fantasy basketball. He's raised his scoring and assists this year, thanks in large part to the continued emergence of Kevin Durant as a top-shelf superstar. He's maintained a consistent 4.9 rpg average from his rookie season as well, a good number for a point guard.
Westbrook ranks eighth in scoring among point guards, eighth in the entire NBA in assists per game and is third among point guards in rebounds per game. There isn't a single player that ranks higher than Westbrook in all three of these core categories.
Verdict: Keep him. You're not going to find a point guard in the draft that's going to get you 17 points, 5 boards, 8 assists and 1 steal per night, and his production should only continue to grow as he emerges as a legitimate No. 2 to Durant in OKC.
