Russell Westbrook is one of the best players in the league. He’s as talented as they come and has the potential to beat every single player in the world one-on-one. He’s fast, strong, athletic, and just unstoppable in the fast-break.
Then again, it feels like he tends to underperform when it matters most. His confidence, which is one of the things that makes him great, is often his worst enemy as well, ironically. He gets tunnel-vision, bricks shots, turns the ball over, and it seems like he just forgets how to read the game, especially in the playoffs.
We love Westbrook but it’s hard to make a case for him lately. As a matter of fact, his playoff record without Kevin Durant just proves that he’s not exactly a winner in the postseason, even despite his fierce competitive nature:
With Durant:
2010 – First Round loss to LAL
2011 – WCF loss to DAL
2012 – Finals loss to MIA
2013 – Injured
2014 – WCF loss to SA
2015 – Miss the playoffs (injured KD)
2016 – WCF loss to GS
Without Durant:
2017 – First Round Exit
2018 – Firs Round Exit
2019 – First Round Exit
Now, his blatant mistakes late in Game 6 vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder has him on a tough spot. The Houston Rockets could end up losing Game 7 and that’ll mark 4 straight first-round exits for Russell Westbrook, even in two different teams.
Obviously, not all the blame can be put on him but he’s had his fair share of All-Star teammates and he’s been in the spotlight from some poor execution and decision-making.
Once it’s all said and done, Westbrook is likely going to go down as one of the greatest statistical players of all time. At the end of the day, he’s the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for more than one season. Then again, none of that will matter if he doesn’t have a ring to show for it.
