Russell Westbrook is amused at Bleacher Report’s top 100 players
By Mike Luciano
Russell Westbrook is amused at Bleacher Report’s top 100 players.
Houston Rockets star point guard Russell Westbrook might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but in no conceivable universe are there 21 players in the NBA right now better than him, unless you’re over at Bleacher Report.
Westbrook was not amused by the fact that he was only ranked 22nd on B/R’s list of the best players in the NBA during the 2019-20 season, and he made his feelings known with a very petty comment on Instagram.
https://twitter.com/RTNBA/status/1282015233238761472
There are not 21 NBA players better than Russell Westbrook
Not only was he ranked far too low, to begin with, but the exclusion of injured players like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry means he should have been ranked much higher than No. 22. Some of the more surprising players to be ranked ahead of Mr. Triple-Double include Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, who ranked 10th, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, who was right behind Middleton at No. 11, and Chris Paul, the man Westbrook was traded for. Paul came in at No. 13 despite worse stats across the board.
In his first year as a Rocket after a stunning trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook has averaged 27.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game, which dwarf the numbers put up by both Middleton and Tatum. Westbrook also put up those numbers while playing alongside the most ball-dominant player in the games in James Harden and in a Mike D’Antoni offense that places an emphasis on three-point shooting, one of Westbrook’s poorer attributes.
Despite all of those factors working against him, he is still dominating night in and night out on a team with title aspirations. Players like Tatum being ranked leagues ahead of Westbrook is just insulting.
Must Read. Westbrook was dominant at times this year. light
Westbrook has a legitimate gripe with Bleacher Report, as they seem to regard his unique, high-octane style of play as only slightly more impressive than Zion Williamson, who ranked 29th despite playing in just 19 games. Westbrook needs to be in the top 15, at least.