Russell Westbrook is one of the most controversial All-Stars in the league. Despite his amazing triple-doubles, many fans hate on him because they view his style of play as “stat-padding”. However, it obviously worked: the Washington Wizards won their play-in game against the Indiana Pacers, and are now firmly in the playoffs as the 8th seed.
It is insane to think that Russell Westbrook can just go out and get you a triple-double on a nightly basis. His ability to run the offense is exquisite, and there is no player in the league quite like him. On a recent episode of the All The Smoke podcast, Jeremy Lin commented on Russell Westbrook and questioned whether people actually see what Westbrook is achieving on the court. (1:08:)
It’s hard to say an MVP is underrated but, do people realize what he’s doing? Do you know how many games it takes to get 21 rebounds in a game? It might take me 10 games to get 21 rebounds.
When you’ve been doing it for a longer or for a long time they just get used to it… don’t talk down on these players. Or even with Westbrook, he just tied the Big O for triple doubles.
Jeremy Lin brings up a valid point. In 2020-21, it seems as though some people gloss over the fact that Russell Westbrook is a former MVP, and continue to talk negatively about him. Russell Westbrook is now in the playoffs. While he didn’t have the best performances last season during the playoffs, that could change very soon.
