Russell Westbrook is putting on quite a show to end the season as he continues his MVP-caliber year. The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard has wowed everyone with his mind-numbing statistical achievements all season.
It’s been the year of the triple-double as Westbrook has led his team to the sixth seed in the West, carrying them in the wake of Kevin Durant’s departure. Now with only three games remaining in the regular season, Westbrook has officially etched his name into the NBA record books.
After recording 23 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists on Friday, Westbrook has officially become the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double for the entire season. Westbrook’s historic night came in a 120-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns, the worst game the point guard has played in quite some time as he shot 6-25 from the field and recorded eight turnovers.
Despite the loss and the poor overall game, this is a phenomenal moment for Russ. Gaudy numbers like this, regardless of any accusations of stat-padding (there is an argument to be made there, to an extent), are legendary. They are stats that we never expect to see, especially from a player averaging merely 34.7 minutes per game. Oscar’s crowning season came with 44.3 minutes of playing time.
Congratulations on the history, Russell Westbrook.