Russell Westbrook triple-double watch: 23 games remaining
By Luke Norris
An update on what Russell Westbrook needs to do to become the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double over an entire NBA season.
Russell Westbrook had two games this week and posted two triple-doubles. Shocking, isn’t it? Westbrook posted his third-fastest triple-double of the season in a blowout win against the Lakers on Friday night with a balanced attack of 17 points, 17 assists and 18 rebounds and followed it up on Sunday evening in a win against the new-look Pelicans with 41 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
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.
Just over a week removed from the All-Star Game, a game in which he put up 31 points, five assists and eight rebounds, Russell Westbrook is 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. And 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.
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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 and Kevin Durant are always going to be in the conversation 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. 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 23 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 59 games, he’s averaging 31.0 points, 10.2 assists and 10.6 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 59 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 59 games, he has a total of 604 assists, meaning he needs 216 assists over the next 23 games, which comes to an average of 9.39 assists per game.
Through 59 games, he has a total of 627 rebounds, meaning he needs 193 rebounds over the next 23 games, which comes to an average of 8.39 rebounds per game.
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 59 games, Westbrook has 29 triple-doubles, good for third on the all-time single season list. As noted earlier, Oscar Robertson had 41 in the 1961-62 season and Wilt Chamberlain had 31 in the 1973-74 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 66 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 finish up a three-game homestand on Tuesday night, Feb. 28, against the Utah Jazz. In two games against them this season, Westbrook has averaged 32.5 points, 7.5 assists and 8.5 rebounds.
On Thursday, Mar. 2, the team kicks off a small road trip in Portland. In two games against the Blazers, Westbrook has averaged 31 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
The following night, Friday, Mar. 3, OKC travels to Phoenix to take on the Suns and Westbrook has been dominant in two meetings against them this season. In the second game of the year, he put up a season-high 51 points to go along with 10 assists and 13 rebounds and followed it up with another triple-double about six weeks later with 26 points, a career-high 22 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Thunder finish out the week in Dallas with a Sunday matchup with the Mavericks. They’ve only played each other once this season and Westbrook focused more on scoring that night, putting up 45 points and just 3 assists and 8 rebounds.
Check back in with FanSided every week as we’ll be continuing to track the triple-double progress of Russell Westbrook as the 2016-17 regular season comes to a close.