22-year old point guard Russell Westbrook is a player on the rise for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook played in 82 games (all starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He has now played in 164 games (147 starts) in his two years with the Thunder and he has averaged 33.4 minutes, 15.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. The only thing holding Westbrook back from being a superstar is his outside shooting as he has made 40.8% from the floor and 24.9% from three point range in his first two years in the NBA.

23-year old Eric Maynor is a solid back-up for the Thunder. He played in 55 games (0 starts) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 16.5 minutes, 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Maynor played in 81 games (2 starts) overall last season for the Jazz & Thunder as a rookie and he averaged 15.7 minutes, 4.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He has a nice upside but he will be nothing more than a back-up with Westbrook on the Thunder.

28-year old Royal Ivey will be the #3 point guard for the Thunder this year. Ivey played in 44 games (0 starts) for the Bucks & 76ers last season in which he averaged 7.4 minutes, 2.1 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 378 games (109 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 13.1 minutes, 3.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE THUNDER POINT GUARDS IN 2010-11: B+