Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks certainly seems to be a fan of his All-Star point guard, Russell Westbrook.
Following Brodie’s 21-rebound, 24-assist triple-double, Brooks told reporters that he thought Russ wasn’t just a Hall of Fame player, but the second-best point guard ever (h/t NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman):
“I used to always say he’s going to probably go down as the third-best point guard ever,” Brooks said. “But I think he’s passed one and he’s going to go down as probably the second-best.
There might be some that shoot better, there might be some that probably can do certain things better,” Brooks said. “But there’s nobody in the history of the game that can do what he does throughout the stat sheet. That guy is as high a level of a player this league has ever seen.”
Westbrook certainly has the counting stats to go up against some of the greats, particularly with his mastery of notching triple-doubles, a rarity for all but a few special players.
In fact, Westbrook is closing in on Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson’s record for triple-doubles in a career; Robertson has 181, and Westbrook is in second place all-time with 165.
The 2017 NBA MVP has accomplished the feat so many times that his career averages aren’t far off from a triple-double either.
In 13 seasons, Westbrook has averaged 23.2 points, 8.5 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game. He’s averaging 21.8 points, 11.2 assists and 11.3 rebounds per game this season.
To be sure, with nine All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA selections, two scoring titles and two assist titles as feathers in his cap, Westbrook has had an unbelievable career to date.
No stranger to criticism, Westbrook has continued to prove his standing as an all-time great to detractors. With the Wizards (and Westbrook) coming on strong at the tail end of the season, the once downtrodden franchise is in the playoff race for the first time since 2018.
