Will Russell Westbrook Average a Triple Double Again ?

Carmelo Anthony'due south response about Russell Westbrook bounced back every bit quickly every bit the question arrived.

Post-obit a round of queries most Westbrook's rebounding — the hot topic since the reigning Most Valuable Actor needs 16 in the Thunder'due south final regular-season game Wednesday to secure a triple-double average for the 2d sequent flavour — Anthony perked upwardly. He was asked about the perception of Westbrook as selfish.

"Is he?," Anthony asked back quickly.

"He's averaging a triple-double and then it's difficult to say somebody's selfish when they average a triple-double."

With those 16 rebounds, Westbrook tin can be the outset player to average a triple-double in dorsum-to-back seasons, which is why the points-rebounds-assists feat is back in the national vocabulary as the regular season closes. But what does Westbrook achieving the feat mean a flavour after pulling it off for the first fourth dimension in 55 years?

Rather than a toppling of Oscar Robertson or clinging to a redemptive thread post-obit Kevin Durant'due south departure, this season'southward Thunder conversation has centered on a disappointing 47-34 record relative to expectations. Westbrook isn't shut to the MVP conversation, with the award James Harden'due south to lose as the Rockets have dominated the league.

What Westbrook is doing alongside Anthony and Paul George is no less incredible, merely feels that manner.

It's the souvenir and the expletive, then, for Westbrook. With 85 triple-doubles in a three-flavor span, he's desensitized a basketball customs to a feat lauded for half a century.

"I think information technology speaks to what kind of fingerprints he has on games in a lot of different aspects," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said when asked what back-to-back triple-double averages would mean. "It doesn't make a divergence who's playing with him, whether it's him passing the ball and creating and generating assists, or his ability to rebound, those two things are always going to be constants considering of his game."

Westbrook has the double-digit points and assists boilerplate wrapped upwards. He needed 12 assists going into his final two games confronting Miami and Memphis and had thirteen Monday night in the Thunder'southward delinquent win against the Oestrus.

He needed 34 rebounds entering those ii games too, a lofty goal for whatever frontcourt player, still alone a 6-foot-iii baby-sit. But why did anyone doubt if Westbrook could pull it off?

Or if his teammates are bothered if he goes for it. NBA players are fully enlightened of history, when milestones are approaching, but they don't allow information technology to replace winning.

"Sometimes you desire to fight him a trivial bit, button him out of the style," said a smiling Anthony, now notorious for his expletive-laden defensive rebounds. "For me, it's good because to have a guard like that to be able to scissure back and get rebounds.

"Anytime you can have a guard like that to come back and rebound the way he does, because we want to push the (fast) pause … when he gets the rebound he's able to jump get-go the break and a lot of good things happen from that."

Make no mistake, the Thunder played a role in the devaluation of the triple-double as well.

Like final flavor, teammates allow for Westbrook to wing in for defensive rebounds, partially to ignite their fast-suspension offense (15 points per game on the break, fourth in the NBA). Information technology was on total display in Monday'south eighteen-rebound performance.

Westbrook elevated in the AmericanAirlines Arena. Arms around him shrank back to their bodies or didn't extend at all. He pulled downward 42.ix percent of the Thunder's defensive rebounds while on the courtroom, his second-highest rebound rate in a game all flavour.

Westbrook and the Thunder have tapped into a basketball code. Seldom do guards bother to follow Westbrook to the defensive glass. Not a trunk was put on him for any of his 15 defensive rebounds on Monday. Only two were contested.

That still doesn't account for his rebounding ability and sheer will. Twice on Monday, Westbrook instinctually pounced and chased the ball down on missed shots which were going out of bounds. Teammates defer with frequency on the defensive drinking glass, only and then at that place'southward offensive rebounding, where hesitation means missed second chances.

How many times has a lethargic Thunder been energized by Westbrook finishing a putback like a ability forward this flavour? Westbrook is third in the NBA amid qualified guards in offensive rebounding rate, pulling down v.five percentage of the Thunder'due south misses when in the game. Merely San Antonio'southward Dejounte Murray (6.eight) and Philadelphia'south Ben Simmons (vi.0) are better. Murray is 6-5. Simmons is half dozen-ten.

And if (when?) he gets 16 rebounds confronting Memphis, it likely won't come at the expense of a victory.

The Thunder has won 80 percent of its games in which Westbrook has triple-doubled this season (xx of 25) — a higher percentage than the Cavaliers when LeBron James triple-doubles (14 of 18, 77.8 percent) or the 76ers when Ben Simmons does (nine of 12, 75 percent).

It's why on the eve of another circular of history, Anthony couldn't keep from laughing as he defendant Westbrook of stealing rebounds.

"Information technology would be some other incredible milestone this year, but it'southward not virtually that. Information technology's about our squad and it's about winning," Donovan said of Westbrook.

"Rebounding helps united states of america win. The assists get other people involved. I think information technology speaks to him as a player, more than anything else, in how unique he is."

***

THUNDER VS. GRIZZLIES

•When: 7 p.m. Wed

•Where: Chesapeake Free energy Arena

•TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37/Hd 722, Dish 412, DirecTV 675, U-verse 751/1751)

•Radio: WWLS 98.one FM

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Source: https://www.oklahoman.com/article/5590460/what-would-russell-westbrook-averaging-a-triple-double-mean-the-second-time-around

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