Russell Westbrook having late-career renaissance in Denver fueled by unique chemistry with Nikola Jokic

Westbrook's impact is all over a Nuggets team that has quietly climbed into the top four

Few NBA players have been labeled more extremely than Russell Westbrook has over the course of his 17-year career. He's been called everything from the greatest athlete ever at the point guard position to a flat-out losing basketball player.  Westbrook/Murray/Braun/Porter/Jokic +15.7 139.1 (98th percentile) Westbrook/Braun/Porter/Gordon/Jokic +30.5 132.9 (96th percentile)

For the last six or seven years, it's been a lot more of the latter as Westbrook has been painted with one of the most unforgiving brushes imaginable. Even his successes, major ones, have been twisted into failures. 

When he averaged 27 points per game and made third-team All-NBA in his one season with the Rockets, all the talk was about how Houston had to trade its center (Clint Capela) and play small, five-out lineups just so Westbrook -- who was starting to be considered useless as an off-ball player -- could have a chance to be useful.