Westbrook’s leadership comes in his consistent on-court presence on both ends of the floor and production. When it comes to leadership, there aren’t many in the league who can steer their ball clubs the way Westbrook and Lillard do on the court. Lillard is a fine defender when he tries, but it’s tough to put him over Westbrook in this one. He’s always had the speed to keep up with any guard on the perimeter, and his size and strength allow him to switch onto forwards and even bigs for short stretches. With Russell Westbrook’s athleticism, though, choosing him as the better defender seems like a foregone conclusion. On the other hand, he isn’t always locked in on that end of the floor, and his defensive focus and motor have historically been called into question. As if that wasn’t enough, The Brodie also edges out Dame Time in steal percentage (2.5% vs 1.3%) and defensive box plus-minus (+0.6 vs. Westbrook’s 43.8 career defensive win shares also completely knock Lillard’s 15.3 out of the water. Per Basketball-Reference, Westbrook has allowed 105.0 points per 100 possessions since 2009, versus Lillard’s 112. Though Lillard has the slight edge over Westbrook this year, the advanced stats significantly favor Westbrook’s defense over his career. According to NBA.com matchup data, opposing guards are making 44.5% of their shots against Westbrook, and 42.4% on Lillard for the season so far. Neither of the two has put on excellent showings on defense this year. Defense has never been what the two point guards were known for in their careers.