Here is something else that Russell Westbrook is better at than Kevin Durant – or anyone else since the 1961-62 season, for that matter. The Oklahoma City Thunder is currently averaging a triple-double (30.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 11.3 assists), the first NBA player to do so since some guy called Oscar Robertson – offshore betting fans may have heard about him.
Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists per game in 1961-62 with the Cincinnati Royals. Back then, games were much more fast-paced with approximately 25 more possessions, 30 more available rebounds and 30 more shot attempts per contest. Westbrook had his 45th (and second-fastest) career triple-double and 8th (and third straight) of this season against the New York Knicks on Monday.
He has become one of only five players in league history to average a triple-double more than five games into the season, and could be the first to enter December averaging a triple-double since Robertson.
By way comparison, Westbrook would have averaged 46.6 points, 17.0 assists and 15.6 rebounds in 1961-62. And while Westbrook may have fewer possessions now, he is still using the most of the Thunder’s possessions (40.7%) of any player qualifying for the scoring title since the three-point line was adopted in 1979. Moreover, Westbrook is hitting 45.7% of his two-point shots and a career-best 34.7% of his shots from beyond the three-point line, ranking behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in shooting effectiveness.
And if that wasn’t enough, he is assisting on 59.1% t of his teammates’ field goals, thus becoming the only player other than John Stockton to have an assist percentage over 55%. Finally, Westbrook is getting 16.3% of the Thunder’s rebounds, joining Magic Johnson, Darrell Walker, Fat Lever and Jason Kidd as the only guards to nab more than 13% of his team’s rebounds.
More simply put, and as Neil Greenberg writes in the WaPo, “Westbrook is being relied on like Jordan, shooting like Kobe, passing like Stockton, rebounding like Magic while playing defense like (David) Robinson.” This raises a couple of questions, though. First, can offshore betting fans expect Westbrook to keep these numbers up throughout the season? According to his head coach Billy Donovan, “Yeah, he could do it. He could do it.
He is going to put up numbers because of his ability and just how hard he plays and his gifts.” Another question is, is Russell Westbrook a good teammate? We at this here online sportsbook don’t ask that question, but FoxSports.com does; in fact it’s the actual title of an article on their website. Specifically, professional contrarian Colin Cowherd says that “this is why KD left. It’s all about Westbrook’s stats.”
Actually, KD left because he’s of the “if you can’t beat them, join them” persuasion. More importantly, Westbrook’s perceived selfishness does not seem to bother his actual teammates. Like Steven Adams, who according the New York Post’s Mike Vaccaro, simply laughed off the fact that the smaller Westbrook is outrebounded him. And offshore betting fans simply don’t care either way; all that matters is whether or not is the Thunder covers the point spread.