Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook came into the league together in 2008. Rose was selected with the number one pick by the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle Supersonics selected Russell Westbrook with the fourth overall pick.
Both players came into the league with similar styles of play. It’s not often a good point guard comes along in the draft, but to have two great point guards come was a big moment for the NBA. Both guards possessed a unique level of athleticism the NBA has never seen before. The combination of strength, size, and raw athleticism is rare at the point guard position.
Russell Westbrook lived in the shadows of Derrick Rose in his first few seasons. The Bulls reached new heights by making the playoffs and taking the defending champions, Boston Celtics, to seven games in the first round. Meanwhile, Westbrook was trying to not to be the laughing stock of the NBA as the Thunder only won 23 games. As both players played similar style of game with almost identical season averages, Derrick Rose won the Rookie of the Year award in a landslide.
Great work with DRose and Russ today. The energy is insane when they work out together. Consistency with their work ethic is incredible.
— Rob McClanaghan (@RMcClanaghanNBA) August 3, 2015
Fast-forward into their third season and Derrick Rose took the league by storm as he won the Most Valuable Player award. Russell Westbrook had his fair share of moments himself over the past few years. Westbrook made it to the 2012 NBA Finals with the help of Kevin Durant and James Harden. However, the Oklahoma City Thunders fell short to Lebron James and the Miami Heat.
Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook struck a strong friendship during the rookie combine in 2008. Since then, both players made it a point to workout with each other every summer in Los Angeles with Rob McClanaghan. This summer, Rose will be back in the gym working on his game instead of rehabbing his knee.
Both players came into the league with electrifying highlights that left fans stunned. Westbrook has endured a few knee surgeries himself over the past two seasons. However, he still manages to throw down his jaw-dropping dunks that even leaves commentators speechless at times. Westbrook took a huge leap last season as he led the NBA in triple-doubles at 11, James harden came in second at just 4. Westbrook also led the NBA in scoring last season with 28.1 points per game to go along with 8.6 assists per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. If you hide the name and read the statistic by itself, the first guess would be Lebron James.
Russell Westbrook no longer lives in the shadows of Derrick Rose, but the bond between the two hasn’t waivered since their rookie season. Both players respect and praise one another as they both try to reach their common goal of winning a championship.
In order to be the best, they must learn from the best. Fortunately, they’re both learning from one another every summer in Los Angeles.
