- Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook have both had issues with playoff performances in their careers
- NBA fans on Reddit discussed which of the two MVP award winners is better in the playoffs
- Fans pointed out that Russell Westbrook has had deeper playoff runs than Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid was named NBA MVP for the 2022-23 season, a distinction Russell Westbrook earned in 2016-17. Although the two are very different as players, their playoff woes in recent years have drawn some comparisons. And fans on Reddit got into a debate about which one is better when the lights are the brightest.
One fan reminded everyone that Russell Westbrook has been to the NBA Finals, saying, “I seen Russ drop 43 in the Finals.”
Another fan didn’t even get into the specifics but agreed, writing, “I’ll go Westbrook. He’s a decent playoff performer.”
The consensus seemed to be that Russell Westbrook is better, with a fan saying, “Russ has made it to the finals, Emblid hasn’t even made the ECF. That’s it right there.”
Another wrote: “Embiid has averaged more PPG in the playoffs than the regular season ONCE. This cannot be said about Russ. I’ve seen enough from Embiid that he just doesn’t step it up in the playoffs. Russ does.”
One fan did stick up for Joel Embiid, saying, “I know it’s cool to hate on Embiid because of his latest playoff blunder even though he was injured but the discussion isn’t as one-sided as most of you make it out to be.
“At least Embiid made it out of the 1st round. Westbrook had a COMBINED 4 playoff wins during his 3-year tenure as a first option with PG.”
And he wasn’t the only one, one more fan made the same argument, writing: “Ik we like to clown Embiid for being a Round 2 merchant, but Russ as a 1st option never got past Round 1.”
There isn’t a conclusive answer to be given here, but Russell Westbrook has made it to the NBA Finals once and the Conference Finals twice in his career. That is a lot more than Joel Embiid can claim and it’s a tough thing to argue against.
Comparing Joel Embiid And Russell Westbrook’s Playoff Stats
Joel Embiid and Russell Westbrook’s playoff stats do seem quite comparable. For his career, Westbrook has averaged 24.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game in the playoffs. Joel Embiid, on the other hand, has managed 24.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. At face value, they seem fairly even considering their positions.
However, Russell Westbrook’s playoff averages, especially points, go up in the playoffs from the regular season. He averages just 22.4 points per game for his regular-season career. This is the opposite of Embiid, who averages 27.7 points per game in his career in the regular season, making his playoff numbers a noticeable drop-off. On all counts, Russell Westbrook does seem to come out ahead.
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