There is no denying that Kevin Durant is the star player and face of the Oklahoma franchise. However, after winning the MVP last 2014; the Thunder power forward had an injury leading to a long period of hiatus, playing only 27 games for his team.
In the absence of Kevin Durant another hero like figure emerged from Durant's shadow. Yes, I am definitely talking about Russell Westbrook. Westbrook undeniably became a talk of the town, with his triple-doubles and floor shows, fans and experts alike eyed him as an MVP contender. Though the Thunder fell short with their title campaign last season, still Westbrook showed them that he is a force to be reckoned with inside the hard court, with or without KD.
Now that there are some rumors brewing in the sidelines regarding a possible team transfer of Kevin Durant to other teams, especially to his hometown Washington, fans are now starting to speculate about the next face of the franchise. Of course with the efforts and performance of Westbrook over the past seasons, he is indeed the number one candidate for it.
Durant who is now suffering another injury would probably miss out "between 7-to-10 days with the injury and will be re-evaluated after that," according to sportsworldreport. And if after reevaluation serious injury would be discovered, then chances are great for Durant to once again be seated on sideline. Such scenario would then be another opportunity for Westbrook to show-off his move, especially that he has been accustomed already to lead his team to victories without the presence of Kevin Durant.
However, it seems like the idea of Westbrook being the new face of OKC or its top dog is not a problem for KD. For even Durant himself somehow acknowledged the fact that his teammate, Westbrook, is currently the best player of the franchise. Durant stated via sbnation that, "We had something on that pick and roll. And we spaced the floor and we let our best player, Russell [Westbrook] just control the game." But whatever the scenario would be, knowing Durant's humble personality there would be no problem, especially if they would continue winning and eventually achieve the NBA title.