After scoring a near-record 41 points to win All-Star MVP honors, Westbrook embarked on an incredible run in which he delivered six triple-doubles in eight games. with Westbrook as his teammate, with the caveat that Westbrook missed 36 games that season and had a higher usage rate than Durant in the games he played.Following years of criticism that he didn't pass the ball enough as a point guard, Westbrook became his team's top scoring option when Durant was sidelined with a foot injury for much of the 2014-15 NBA season. Durant won four scoring titles as Westbrook’s teammate and the pair led the Thunder to an N.B.A. In 2018-19, George, as Westbrook’s partner in Oklahoma City, had by far his best year (28 points per game) and finished third in M.V.P. in scoring and put together one of the best N.B.A. Westbrook has never been accused of efficiency.īut it should be noted: George, Harden and Durant have all thrived playing next to Westbrook. The optimal modern superstar can provide production as efficiently as possible. His career usage rate - a measure of what percentage of a team’s plays a player is involved in - is 32.7 percent, the second highest in N.B.A. Westbrook, though, can seemingly only be successful if he controls the offense with the ball in his hands. He will now join Bradley Beal, who finished second in the N.B.A. stars: Paul George, James Harden and Kevin Durant. Westbrook has played with multiple A-list N.B.A. In two of the three seasons in which he averaged a triple-double, the Thunder had a below-average offense, and they were tied for eighth in the other one. They were 5-4 when Westbrook did not play.īut Westbrook’s approach didn’t exactly make for great offense in Oklahoma City. 676 win percentage) when Westbrook had a triple-double, and 21-18 when Westbrook played but did not get one (.538 win percentage). year, the Thunder were 13-26 in those games.įor the 2018-19 season, Westbrook’s final season in Oklahoma City, the Thunder went 23-11 (a. In the 2016-17 season, Westbrook’s M.V.P. In both of those years, the Thunder had a losing record when Westbrook played but did not get one. 791 winning percentage) when Westbrook attained a triple-double roughly a 65-win pace in an 82-game regular season. In the 2016-18 seasons, the Thunder went 53-14 (a. Team’s Record When Westbrook Gets a Triple-DoubleĢ016-17 Thunder: 33-9. It is actually more complicated than that, at least from a numbers perspective.ĭuring the regular season, the Thunder had a significantly higher winning percentage when Westbrook attained a triple-double than when he did not. He is the latest in a long line of stars where analysts and fans have questioned whether his style of play is conducive to winning a championship, much like Allen Iverson (who won the M.V.P. stars in recent decades, even more so after last season’s up-and-down year with the Rockets. Westbrook, still in his prime and remarkably durable, is one of the most divisive N.B.A. in 1979, 19) also played on three different teams in three years, but it was in the waning years of their careers, not at their heights. Shaquille O’Neal (2000) and Moses Malone (the M.V.P. It happened to Derrick Rose (the 2011 M.V.P.) too, but his on-court productivity was seriously hampered by injuries. So why is Westbrook, who was traded this week from Houston to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a draft pick, about to be on his third team in three years? This is virtually unheard-of for a former M.V.P. It is a basketball résumé that many players dream of but only a tiny handful attain.

He just turned 32 last month and if all goes well, he should have several All-Star seasons left in him. He has led the league in scoring twice and once scored 43 points in an N.B.A. He is regularly an All-Star (nine times in 12 seasons) and will almost assuredly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when his career ends.

Russell Westbrook is a Most Valuable Player Award winner.

Westbrook stts