Russell Westbrook triple-double watch: 13 games remaining

With 13 games remaining, here’s an update on exactly what Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook needs to do in order to become just the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double over an entire NBA season.

Another week gone by and another couple of triple-doubles for Russell Westbrook. The Oklahoma City guard had yet another fantastic week as the Thunder went 3-0 and are riding a five-game winning streak into this week’s action. Westbrook put up 25 points, 19 assists and 12 rebounds in a win against Brooklyn on Tuesday and followed it up with another triple-double on Thursday with 24 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds as the Thunder took down the Raptors. He nearly had a perfect week but came up two rebounds shy of his fifth consecutive triple-double with 28 points, 10 assists and eight boards against Sacramento on Saturday.

Following the loss of Kevin Durant, who left last summer via free agency for the Golden State Warriors, there was no denying that Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook would need to step it up a notch in order for his team to remain any sort of threat in a very competitive Western Conference. Westbrook had always put up great numbers and we knew they’d go up a bit with Durant gone but I’m not sure anybody expected this.

As far as our watch is concerned, Westbrook is still averaging a triple-double and is looking to become the first player since Oscar Robertson to accomplish this feat over the course of an entire NBA season. “The Big O” did so during the 1961-62 season, averaging 30.8 points, 11.4 assists and 12.5 rebounds per game, putting up a total of 41 triple-doubles.

Much like what may end up happening to Russell Westbrook, Robertson did not win the MVP that year. In fact, he didn’t even come in second. Bill Russell ended up winning the award that year (18.9 points, 23.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists) and Wilt Chamberlain, who averaged more than 50 points and 25 rebounds, was the runner-up. That’s three of the greatest individual seasons in the history of basketball.

While Westbrook is enjoying one of the most successful individual campaigns in NBA history, the fact that the Thunder aren’t considered one of the elite teams in the NBA may make things harder for him to win his first MVP. LeBron James is always in the mix, Isaiah Thomas has entered the race and Kawhi Leonard is probably in there as well. Kevin Durant may have been before his injury and James Harden is having an incredible season of his own and has the Houston Rockets in position for a deep run in the playoffs and may be the favorite right now. But Russell Westbrook continues to impress and regardless of whether or not he wins the MVP, he’s on track for history.

So let’s break down the triple-double stats for Westbrook and see exactly what he needs to do over the next 13 games to become just the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season.

What are Russell Westbrook’s current averages? Through 69 games, he’s averaging 31.7 points, 10.3 assists and 10.5 rebounds.

What would Russell Westbrook have to average the rest of the season to make it with a triple-double?Thus far, Westbrook has played in all 69 games the Thunder have played this season so we’re going to go ahead and assume that he’s going to play in all 82 games, meaning he would need a total of 820 points, 820 assists and 820 rebounds to average a triple-double.

We already know that the points are not an issue. He took care of that back on Dec. 17 by scoring 26 in a win against the Phoenix Suns, which put him at 820 exactly.

Through 69 games, he has a total of 713 assists, meaning he needs 107 assists over the next 13 games, which comes to an average of 8.2 assists per game.

Through 69 games, he has a total of 726 rebounds, meaning he needs 94 rebounds over the next 13 games, which comes to an average of 7.2 rebounds per game.

What was Russell Westbrook’s fastest triple-double of the season? Westbrook’s fastest triple-double this season came back on New Year’s Eve in a win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He had his 16th triple-double of the season in about 19 minutes, just two minutes shy of the NBA record set by Jim Tucker in 1955, with 11 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds before halftime. Westbrook didn’t play much of the second half in the 114-88 blowout victory and ended the night with 17 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds.

What was Russell Westbrook’s best triple-double of the season? According to Game Score, a formula used at Basketball Reference to measure a player’s single game productivity, Russell Westbrook’s best triple-double of the season came on Nov. 13 in a two-point home loss to the Orlando Magic. Westbrook shot 14-for-18 from the floor that night and ended up with 41 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds.

How many triple-doubles does Russell Westbrook have this season? Through 69 games, Westbrook has 34 triple-doubles, good for second on the all-time single season list after passing Wilt Chamberlain nine days ago, who had 31 in the 1973-74 season. As noted earlier, Oscar Robertson had 41 in the 1961-62 campaign.

Where is Russell Westbrook on the career triple-double list? Westbrook currently sits in fifth place on the all-time career triple-double list with 71 and has passed Larry Bird and LeBron James with his output this season. The four players ahead of him are Wilt Chamberlain (78), Jason Kidd (107), Magic Johnson (138) and of course, Oscar Robertson (181).

Who does Russell Westbrook play against this week? The Thunder host the Golden State Warriors on Monday night and are looking for their first win against the defending Western Conference champions. In three losses to the Warriors this year, Westbrook has averaged 31.3 points, 10.3 assists and 10.7 rebounds.

The Thunder then welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to town for their second and final meeting of the year. Oklahoma City hasn’t played them since the season opener, a game in which Westbrook put up 32 points, nine assists and 12 rebounds.

They then take a few days off before a big MVP showdown on Sunday afternoon with James Harden and the Houston Rockets. OKC has gone 1-2 in three matchups with them this year with Westbrook posting averages of 35.3 points, eight assists and 8.3 rebounds.

Next: 5 first-round playoff matches we're dying to see

Be sure to keep checking back in with FanSided as we’ll continue to track the progress of Russell Westbrook as he inches closer and closer to making history.