The Seattle SuperSonics were on the clock. They had the fourth pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and it was time to make up their minds: Were they really prepared to select Russell Westbrook?

The Sonics had spent months studying Westbrook because he was a highly unconventional choice. Westbrook barely had experience at his projected NBA position, and there wasn’t much data to predict his future. Most experts pegged Westbrook as a mid-first-round pick. The Sonics, soon to become the Oklahoma City Thunder, had five minutes to decide...