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When he was a player in Oklahoma City, Earl Watson told his team's general manager to keep an eye on a guy from UCLA.
The Bruins were stocked with NBA talents Kevin Love and Darren Collison — but Watson told Sam Presti that the raw, but talented Russell Westbrook would be the best of them.
"I've never seen a guy come to the bench during timeouts who can barely breathe," Watson said during a recent stop in Salt Lake City. "He gives his last breath to each possession."
Now Westbrook will be huffing and puffing into Vivint Smart Home Arena this week and the timing could hardly be worse for the Jazz.
Point guard George Hill is out of his protective walking boot, but still sidelined by a toe injury. Backup Dante Exum, meanwhile, missed practice Tuesday due to tendinitis in his left knee. And this at a time when the Jazz's perimeter defenders have struggled mightily with containing quicker guards.
Miami's Goran Dragic scored 27 as the Heat upset the Jazz in Salt Lake. Denver's Will Barton followed with a 20-point night in Utah.
"We didn't have the quickness to contain the ball well," assistant coach Igor Kokoskov said after Lakers guard Lou Williams dropped 38 on the Jazz. "That is something that is not just a concern for this game, it's something for games that are coming."
Kokoskov called on the Jazz guards to take on the responsibility and accept a personal challenge to defend.
"You get tired obviously, the lateral movement is a little bit slower, and then it is harder to contain the ball," he said. "They have to take some pride and accept a personal challenge, because the whole concept of coach [Quin] Snyder is the team and five guys working together, but at the end of the day, you have to take a personal challenge. Contain the ball better, contest without fouling, and that individual challenge makes the team better collectively too."
But what followed were difficult nights defending the Phoenix Suns, when Devin Booker scored 21 and reserves Brandon Knight and Leandro Barbosa combined for 28 off the bench, as well as a predictably tough night against Steph Curry and the Warriors.
Now comes the challenge of trying to slow Westbrook.
"He's like superhero quick," Snyder said. "You just do your best. You can't hang it on one guy. Understand that he's going to get in the paint. Just the more difficult you can make it and the fewer times you allow it, the better."
Snyder said he felt his team "did a better job" in pick-and-roll defense in their win over the Sacramento Kings last week, but that with Westbrook in town, "we'll be tested like crazy."
Shouldering an even heavier offensive load since superstar Kevin Durant's departure from Oklahoma, Westbrook is averaging a triple-double — 31.1 points, 11 assists and 10.9 rebounds — while keeping the Thunder in the Western Conference playoff picture.
"You can talk about [guarding him] but it's hard to do," Jazz guard Rodney Hood said. "Obviously he's playing at an MVP level right now. We've got to use each other, everybody. We need the bigs, the guards, everybody's got to get back and build a wall around him."
Then they have to hope Westbrook doesn't blow it down.
Twitter: @aaronfalk —
Jazz vs. Thunder
P At Vivint Smart Home Arena
Tipoff • Wednesday, 7 p.m.
TV • ROOT
Radio • 1280 AM, 97.5 FM
Last meeting • First meeting of the season.
About the Jazz • Forward Derrick Favors practiced again Tuesday and could make his return from a knee injury Wednesday. … Jazz center Rudy Gobert is leading the NBA in field goal percentage (67.1) while shooting guard Joe Ingles is leading the league in 3-point percentage (48.4). … Winners of eight of their last 10 games.
About the Thunder • Point guard Russell Westbrook is averaging a triple-double. Only Oscar Robertson (in 1961-62) has averaged one for a season. … Swept the four-game series with the Jazz last year. … Former Jazzman Enes Kanter is averaging 19.3 minutes per game, his lowest mark since his second season in the NBA.