Russell Westbrook of the Houston Rockers attacks the hoop against Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James during a playoff game in September in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. AP file photo

There exists a long-standing theory in the NBA about Russell Westbrook — one of many long-standing theories in the NBA about Russell Westbrook — that posits that the point guard can be detrimental to young teammates.

In games, Westbrook is stubborn and ball-dominant, and the idea is that not giving young players the chance to make quick decisions with the ball in clutch situations can slow their growth.

Washington Wizards coach Scott Brooks has a story to counter that thought.

“Growing up, my favorite player was Julius Erving. I got a chance to play for Philadelphia, and I met him for the first time,” Brooks said in a virtual news conference last week. “I’m like, ‘Man, this is the greatest day of my life.’ And I know playing for that team, I didn’t want to disappoint him because I knew he was watching.”

Brooks believes that for the 13 players on the Wizards’ training camp roster who have been in the NBA for three years or less, Westbrook will be something like their Dr. J. He expects Westbrook’s greatest impact on Washington’s young players to be the standard he sets simply by being himself — a diligent professional and cutthroat competitor.

The fifth-year coach already has seen that play out. Sunday was the Wizards’ third day of group practices during training camp, which is closed to reporters this year because of coronavirus restrictions, and is usually something of a sluggish hump day, Brooks said.

But Sunday was different. Sunday was the first day Westbrook practiced with the team.

“You could just see it. He just has a way about him. This guy is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he’s now, he’s a coach on the floor,” Brooks said. “You could see the players’ intensity; you could see their faces. Some of these guys were 9, 10 years old and they just started following basketball and they were seeing Russell in his first couple years in the league, so they grew up watching him.”

With his former coach at the helm, Westbrook, 32, had little trouble acclimating during his first practice and even mentioned to Brooks the similarities he saw between some of the Wizards’ offensive sets and what they ran when they were together with the Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008 through 2015.

That attention to detail and ability to adapt to playbooks easily are what 21-year-old guard Troy Brown Jr. is looking forward to absorbing most. Brown, Washington’s selection with the No. 15 draft pick in 2018, was roundly praised among those in the organization for taking a big leap with his own leadership skills when the Wizards played in the NBA’s Florida bubble over the summer.

Brown is looking forward to picking Westbrook’s brain on everything from his decision-making process on the court to picking up tips on playing off the pick and roll.

“The biggest thing is just, like, reads and stuff like that,” Brown said. “Obviously, I’m not the most athletic guy like Russell Westbrook, but at the end of the day, a guy that has that mind-set and has been in the league and is a nine-time all-star, they see things. They see the game (differently). It’s more a mental game than it is a physical game at that point.”

For his part, Bradley Beal, the team’s established leader, said he wasn’t worried about Westbrook hogging the ball when he spoke to reporters in a virtual news conference Friday. Washington’s other all-star didn’t want to cast aspersions about his new backcourt mate before he had ever played with Westbrook. Beal pointed out the nine-time all-NBA selection has shared the floor with superstars for much of his career.

“I think there’s a lot of false narratives that people have on him, you know, so I won’t put any stock into those things until I actually get some time with Russ on the floor,” Beal said. “But I don’t think it’ll be anything where he comes in and he’s, like, trying to run the show and just do everything by himself.”

Washington has another full week of practice before it finally sees what Westbrook does on court in a Wizards uniform, how he jells with players both young and experienced.

Until then, players such as Brown will try to soak up as much as they can.

“It’s definitely a cool experience, especially with guys that you’ve watched for so long and now they’re your teammates. You hear all the stories and stuff like that, but you’re really up close and personal,” Brown said. “… He’s somebody just like Brad, who I want to learn from and pick their brains. They’re both all-stars, and I feel like they complement each other very well, their personalities and how much they love the game.”