Fansided

Russell Westbrook makes the wrong kind of history

By Rich Kraetsch

HOUSTON, TX - October 24 : Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 24, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - October 24 : Russell Westbrook #0 of the Houston Rockets looks on against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 24, 2019 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Russell Westbrook’s inaugural season with Houston has gone well so far but last night he made the wrong kind of history.

Russell Westbrook’s inaugural season with the Houston Rockets has been going about as well as anyone could have reasonably expected. Westbrook’s 21.9 points-per-game average is in line with his average from last year (22.9) and while his rebounds, assists, and usage rate have plummeted back to where they were when he was one-half of the NBA’s most dynamic duo with Kevin Durant, Westbrook hasn’t pouted or sulked.

Westbrook has taken the “demotion” to James Harden’s sidekick as a badge of honor and has helped the Rockets to a 13-7 record despite several personnel losses in the offseason and questions about the future and closing contention window of the franchise.

Last night, Westbrook’s partner-in-crime Harden became one of a handful of NBA players to score 50+ points with more than 24 made free-throws joining the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan and many other legends of NBA’s past and present.

Unfortunately, it’s not Harden’s fun fact/record-breaking night we’re going to talk about here. No,  we’re here to talk about the wrong kind of history Westbrook achieved last night. Last night in the Rockets overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Westbrook became one of only 15 players in NBA history to score 20 points or less with 30 or more field goal attempts.

It’s not great company to keep.

Westbrook’s performance last night was the first such game since 2011 when then-Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis scored 20 points on 9-of-30 shooting in a March 29 loss to Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder.

Before Ellis, we need to jump back over 10 years to Dec. 20, 2000, when Super Sonics defensive stalwart and NBA legend Gary Payton “achieved” the feat shooting 9-of-30 en route to a 19 point game.

The Basketball-Reference Play Index results for these instances of games are littered with games from the 1960s and 1970s including three games from Boston Celtics’ Bob Cousy including a particularly putrid 4-of-30 for 14 points game in 1958. The modern-day inventor of the jump shot “Jumpin” Joe Fulks is listed as well for his Feb. 14, 1947 performance (who could forget this one?) against the Cleveland Rebels when Fulks, one of the NBA’s early volume scorers went 7-of-34 for 19 points.

Other names listed include The Ivy Leaguer With Muscles, Honey Boy, Musty, Brutus, Roughhouse Rudy himself Rudy LaRusso, who shot 6-of-30 for 20 points in 1968.

My favorite stat line on this entire list comes from Nov. 3, 1980, and Cleveland Cavalier forward Mike Mitchell. On this night, Mithcell shot 5-of-32 from the field for only 10 points. Yes, 5-of-32 from the field, no free-throws made, no free-throws attempted, 10 points.

This was uncharacteristic for Mithcell who despite this horrendous performance would earn himself an All-Star bid in 1981 and ended the season averaging 24.5 points per game on a 28-win Cavaliers team.

I also enjoy that two of the players on this list: Payton and Westbrook racked up triple-doubles on these poor shooting nices while Dave Cowens — who achieved the feat in March 1973 — nabbed 32 (!) rebounds and 9 assists despite shooting just 10-of-30 from the floor.

Here’s hoping Westbrook’s performance last night is an aberration and not a sign of things to come.

If you’re interested in learning more about NBA and basketball history, please check out the Over and Back podcast hosted on The Step Back:

Home/Houston Rockets