Westbrook and the Rockets: A "Championship" that is 13 years late?

When the hustle and bustle of the free market gradually settled, Russell Westbrook's name still looks like a question mark hanging in the air - this triple-double king is standing at a crossroads at his 35-year-old career after experiencing the twists and turns of the Lakers, Jazz and Clippers. And the crazy summer of the Houston Rockets paved a way for him to return with a hidden sense of fate: when Capela returns to Toyota Center, when Durant is wearing the Rockets, when Jeff Green and Adams appear in the training hall again, should Westbrook respond to the belated "Go home, master"?

1. "Red Memory": The Champion Puzzle

The 2012 Thunder Three Young Master was one step away from the O'Brien Cup, and Westbrook's brief intersection with Durant in the Rockets (2019-20 season) is another unfinished story. At that time, they teamed up to score a record of 53 wins and 29 losses, Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, forming a terrifying double core with Durant's 34.3 points. Although he lost to the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, the impact of the Rockets is still remembered by fans - now Durant has returned with his championship experience, if Westbrook can return, he will no longer be the brave defender who lacks the fulcrum of the inside.

Capela's return is more like a response to fate. In the 2017-19 season, Westbrook and Capela's "Aerial Relay Aesthetics" interpreted by the Rockets was once the Rockets' signature tactics. The latter averaged 16.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game, which was the best beneficiary of Westbrook's breakthrough pass. Now Shen Jing’s support ability + Capela’s deterrent power to protect the basket will provide Westbrook with more three-dimensional inside support than that year. The existence of Jeff Green (averages 12.2 points per game in 2019-20) and Adams (partnering Westbrook in 2020-21) makes the Rockets locker room full of the warmth of "old comrades".

2. The value of "triple-double king": the last puzzle of the champion team

For the Rockets who are determined to win the championship, Westbrook's joining is by no means a cause of emotion, but an accurate tactical replacement:

Cracking the positional battle dilemma: When Durant and Van Jordan encountered double teams, Westbrook's breakthrough and pass ability (7.3 assists per game in his career) can instantly tear the defense line. His pick-and-roll cooperation with Capela can replicate the efficiency of 15 points per game in 2020;

Energy injection on the defensive end: Although the speed has dropped slightly, Westbrook's defensive intuition of 1.7 steals per game in his career can match Finney - Smith and Ethan formed a wing strangle group to make up for the Rockets' lack of single defense in the backcourt;

Playoff experience library: 11 playoff trips in 13 years of career, Westbrook's tough performance of 25.4 points per game is the "battlefield guide" that the Rockets' young lineup (Jabbarri Smith Jr., 23 years old, Amen Thompson 21 years old) needs the most.

What's more important is salary flexibility - Westbrook's annual salary in the Clippers last season was $780,000. If he joins with a basic salary, the Rockets can completely use the "veteran special case" to complete the signing, which will not affect subsequent signings, but can also exchange for immediate combat power at a very small cost. This kind of "low risk and high return" investment is the king of cost-effectiveness for General Manager Stone.

3. "Grievances are like smoke": The redemption narrative from breaking to reconciliation

After Durant joined the Warriors in 2019, Westbrook's "betrayer" accusation of the two of them dropped to freezing point, but the script has long been rewritten:

Durant's attitude change: During the 2023 playoffs, Durant publicly praised Westbrook for "being one of the most competitive players I have ever worked with", and admitted that "the contradictions that year stem from lack of communication";

Westbrook's self-iteration: From the controversial role in the Lakers era to the Clippers' "best sixth man" candidate, he has learned to switch positioning when the team needs it, and averaged 15.9 points per game in the 2023-24 season 4.9 The assisted substitute data proves that he can accept the role of "Sixth Man";

Rockets' chemical reaction catalyst: Coach Uduka's "iron-blooded system" emphasizes discipline and team first, and Westbrook's desire to win can just activate the team's competitive genes - when he shouts "keep up" to young players in training, that appeal may be the key variable for the Rockets to move from a "strong team" to a "champion team".

4. "The Meaning of Going Home": A Career Footnote to Beyond Basketball

If Westbrook chooses to return to Houston, it will not only be a basketball-level choice, but also a poetic closed loop of his career:

Where the dream begins: On the 2008 draft night, the Thunder (formerly Supersonics) selected Westbrook with the No. 4 draw, and the Rockets once had the No. 3 draw (selected Mayo), and the misalignment of fate made him miss the red jersey;

Unfinished Champion Dream: 2012 After losing to the Heat in the 2017 Finals, Westbrook choked up in an interview, "We will come back." Now Durant has returned with two rings. The boys were already covered in wind and frost, but they have more persistence in "the veterans are immortal";

Two-way redemption between cities and players: Houston fans have never forgotten the crazy situation of Westbrook's triple-double season in 2017 (31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, 10.4 assists). When the Toyota Center shouted "MVP" again, that belated recognition may heal all the fatigue of wandering.

Conclusion: When the "Young Master" meets the "Champion puzzle"

The pendulum of the free market is still rotating, the Heat's offer and other teams' wait-and-seeness may make Westbrook's future regenerate variables. But the "return script" thrown by the Rockets is like a carefully polished sports movie: old comrades reunite, old feud reconciliation, and veterans' last fight for the champion. Just as Capela said when she returned, "Houston is my basketball hometown", if Westbrook can respond to the call at this moment, then the Rockets in the 2024-25 season may really be able to write the story of "the world is falling into people" into the legend of "the champion will come here after all".

After all, in the basketball world, there is no more moving decisive goal than "Going Home".