Russell Westbrook Put Up One Of The Most Dominant Performances The NBA Has Ever Seen
Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.
Advertisement
As I've blogged before, I am a sucker for nights where we see NBA history. Now let's just get something out of the way early. I understand the Wizards are most likely headed to the high lottery. I know their record stinks. I also don't really care. Because when Russell Westbrook has a night like he did last night and gives us one of the most dominant performances the league has seen in a lonnnnnnnng time
Advertisement
we have to talk about it. Especially when the narrative surrounding Westbrook for like two seasons now has been how washed he is
Westbrook remains such a fascinating player to me. On any given night he could absolutely shoot you right out of a game. On the season he's shooting just 34% from 5-9 ft, 28% from 10-14ft, 40% from 15-19ft, and just 31% from three. There are times when he becomes infuriating to watch. But then there are nights where he gives you a performance like last night and is completely dominant
I also want to remind those who maybe don't want a ton of Wizards games what exactly we are witnessing when it comes to Westbrook's season. I know it's become the trendy thing to do on the internet nowadays where we pretend triple doubles are no big deal, but did you know Westbrook is currently averaging 21.8/10.1/10.5? That's right, this is now the 4th season in 5 years that we're seeing him average a triple double. That is legitimately insane. It was a big deal when the Big O did it for one season. The league then went 54 years before we saw someone do it again. Now Westbrook has done it in 4 of the last 5. Whatever you think of Westbrook as a player, you have to admit that is wildly impressive.
Is he a perfect player? Of course not. He has his flaws for sure. But there's no arguing that when you're getting "Good Westbrook" and he is locked in, he can dominate a game like few point guards can. It may not happen all the time, it may not always translate to wins, but I'm all for seeing shit we've never seen before. When it comes to Westbrook I feel like people either love him or hate him with no in-between.
Let me ask you. Is Russell Westbrook a Hall Of Fame player to you? He has an MVP, a 2x scoring champ, a 2x assists champ, a 9x All NBA player, 9x All Star, all the triple doubles, I'm going to go ahead and say he's a lock. It wouldn't surprise me if he's even a first ballot guy, even if he never wins a ring or makes another All Star team again. Is that a hot take? I don't think so.
Advertisement
It also wouldn't shock me if we see him go like 2-18 in his next game. That's just all part of the Westbrook experience. I just hope everyone appreciates what we're watching because it's honestly unlike anything the league has ever seen.