Westbrook has transformed the triple-double from an anomaly into an expectation.
It’s too late to climb on the Westbrook train and talk about how great he is. The reality is that Westbrook has always been excellent, and he will no doubt go down as one of the best to play the game.
And yet, some fans and media members see Westbrook differently–diminishing his accomplishments and questioning just how good his play has been and is today.
Some see Westbrook as a stat-padder. They also diminish what he accomplished in OKC because ‘The Big Three’–Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant–failed to win a championship. While true, people forget that Harden was the 6th man, nowhere near the player that he was in Houston and is today in Brooklyn. On top of that, both Durant and Westbrook were in the early years of their respective careers.
Then, of c0urse, there was what happened in the 2016 playoffs against the Warriors…the 73-9 (regular season) Warriors, I might add. OKC took a 3-1 lead in the series but lost in seven games. It was against the Warriors, after all, but still, the 2015-16 team and Westbrook, in particular, carry a stain to this day.
All Westbrook did was continue producing. After the Thunder broke up, Westbrook was tasked with leading awful teams just as he hit his prime. In 2016-17, he averaged 31 points per game, 10 assists, and 10 rebounds per game, and Westbrook became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season.
For the next three years, Westbrook continued dominating the league and giving OKC all he had. Not only did he carry this team to the playoffs each of those seasons, but he consistently averaged a triple-double.
But it still wasn’t enough, at least as some saw it, and more naysaying was around the corner. The Thunder sent him to Houston and a reunion with Harden. Great anticipation turned out to be a bust. After a season full of injuries, Houston blew up the team and banished Westbrook to the East Coast to play for a team that seldom excels, the Washingon Wizards.
Nobody told Westbrook, though. He’s carrying the team with Bradley Beal. Today, the Wizards find themselves only 1.5 games out of a playoff spot, which many believe Westbrook and Beal will secure.
But no matter what happens this year–or for the rest of his career, for that matter–Russell Westbrook has already accomplished something that will etch his name into the annals of the National Basketball Association. Westbrook has elevated the triple-double from a once-and-a-time accomplishment to an expected outcome. Consider this. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in four out of the last five seasons–a feat that not long ago was considered impossible.
And Westbrook isn’t a solo act. His teams win 75% of the time when he scores a triple-double. What’s more, Westbrook does it while playing with high-profile teammates, including Paul George and James Harden, players who put up some of their best numbers when playing alongside ‘Russ.’
Breaking Oscar Robertson’s record has put Westbrook in the headlines once again. And while many analysts are lauding the incredible season he has this year, they sometimes forget to mention that Westbrook has been performing this way for his entire career. The bottom line is that he is phenomenally productive, and he’s a fantastic teammate, too. Period.
Before his playing days are over, I hope Russell Westbrook can win a ring and silence his doubters and haters. Russ deserves as much.
