Austin Rivers has made a big statement regarding Russell Westbrook and how he is as a teammate. Russ landed in Houston the last offseason in a blockbuster trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This season has been full of ups and downs for the Rockets, but it’s fair to say Westbrook has done well with his new teammates.
For instance, Rivers named Russ as his favorite teammate ever. The guard took to Instagram on Monday to have a little chat with fans amid the coronavirus outbreak that caused the NBA season to be suspended. He discussed his relationship with Russ and how a great teammate the 2017 NBA MVP has been so far.
“Russ is my favorite teammate I’ve probably ever had. He’s just an amazing guy. One of the most wrongly depicted persons…
“I think people portray him in a way that is just totally not him. He’s literally probably the best teammate I’ve ever had in my life. An amazing guy, and an amazing player. It’s been amazing playing with him. He’s incredible. The passion he plays with every night is inspiring. It’s been an amazing process playing with him,” Rivers is quoted as saying by Rockets Wire.
.@AustinRivers25 on playing with @russwest44.#Rockets #OneMission pic.twitter.com/nCxONsSqPw
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) March 17, 2020
Rivers is one of the players who accompany the Rockets’ bench unit led by Westbrook, so they’ve had plenty of time to get to know each other. Their realities aren’t that different, either, as Rivers is playing his second season with the team, while Russ is going through his first year at the Toyota Center.
Austin has recorded 8.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 23.4 minutes per outing this campaign, shooting for 42.1 from the field and 35.8% on 3-pointers. Russ, on the other hand, is averaging 27.5 points (47.4% shooting), 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game.
The Rockets made some curious decisions before the trade deadline and people are wondering if that will pay off. They are a team of streaks and that could decide their fate in the playoffs, in the case the NBA returns this season.
Reports suggest the league could return in June, with no fans attending the games.
