Russell Westbrook is Playing at a Legendary Level

Russell Westbrook is playing at a legendary level for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015-16. Stephen Curry has the NBA MVP award all but locked up, but that doesn’t make Westbrook’s season any less significant.

For the vast majority of the 2015-16 regular season, the NBA MVP award has been kept in a Halliburton briefcase that only Stephen Curry knows the combination to. The Golden State Warriors’ team success, as well as Curry’s prolific scoring pace, has made it impossible to even attempt to include other players in the discussion.

It may be too late for the MVP award to change hands, but Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook is making it very difficult to ignore him.

Westbrook’s 50-22 Thunder are well behind the pace of Curry’s 64-7 Warriors and Kawhi Leonard‘s 60-11 San Antonio Spurs. Thus, it becomes difficult to justify handing Westbrook MVP when both of those incredible players are in the process of leading their respective teams to all-time seasons.

While giving Westbrook MVP may not be an option, he’s certainly created echoes in the conversation with his recent stretch of play.

Award or otherwise, Westbrook is performing at a legendary level. His production and quality of play is comparable to all-time greats including Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Oscar Robertson—and no, that is not hyperbole.

That all begins with a statistic that Westbrook has, at 27 years old, become one of the all-time masters of.

Triple-Double Machine, Part I

Jason Kidd may have been the modern day King of the Triple-Double before, but that distinction is very gradually becoming Russell Westbrook’s to own. Westbrook has recorded triple-doubles at a rate that very few have in the recent or distant past.

With time to spare in 2015-16, Westbrook has recorded a league-best 15 triple-doubles—the most by any player in more than 25 years.

The last two players to tally at least 15 triple-doubles in a single season were Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan in 1988-89.

Johnson finished that season with an astonishing 17, while Jordan checked in at No. 2 in the Association with 15.

In other words, Westbrook could rest for the remainder of the 2015-16 season and still belong in the same conversation as two of the greatest players in NBA history.

For perspective, no player had reached 13 triple-doubles in a single season since Jason Kidd in 2007-08. Westbrook has 15 in 2015-16, which follows a 2014-15 season during which he tallied 11.

In other words, Westbrook has 26 triple-doubles over the past two seasons—breaking Kidd’s mark for most any player has recorded in a two-season span over the past 25 years, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Triple-Double Machine, Part II

Russell Westbrook is ripping off triple-doubles, one of the most difficult feats in basketball, with relative ease. Beyond the individual greatness that presumes, however, is what truly matters: he’s making the Oklahoma Thunder a better team because of his well-rounded brilliance with the ball in his hands.

Thus far, the Thunder are 15-0 when Westbrook has a triple-double—the fourth-longest undefeated streak in NBA history under such circumstances.

Westbrook is no longer stuffing the box score with empty statistics; he’s becoming a positively influential superstar.

It’s already been established that Westbrook leads the NBA with 15 triple-doubles. Behind him at No. 2 is Warriors star Draymond Green with 11, and Sacramento Kings point guard Rajon Rondo with five.

That makes the following statistic all the more impressive: Westbrook has six triple-doubles in March alone—a number that puts him in the same conversation as Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.

In other words, Westbrook has more triple-doubles during the current calendar month than the No. 3 player in the NBA has this entire season.

Westbrook isn’t reaching his triple-doubles with bare-minimum statistics; he’s playing at a dominant level. Thus far, he has five triple-doubles with at least 15 assists—the same number as Rondo, No. 3 in the NBA, has overall.

For perspective, the rest of the NBA has a combined for four triple-doubles with at least 15 assists—one less than Westbrook on his own.

Legendary Averages

The triple-doubles are incredible, but even with 15 of them, they’re individual game achievements. Having completed 72 games overall, the rational question is what Russell Westbrook is doing when he isn’t reaching the triple-double plateau.

Don’t worry, skeptics and supporters; the overall numbers are just as prolific.

Thus far in 2015-16, Westbrook is averaging 23.6 points, 10.4 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.3 3-point field goals made per game. If those numbers sound incredible, it’s because they are.

According to Basketball-Reference.com, Westbrook is on pace to be the first player in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 assists, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.

Steals were introduced as an official statistic in 1973-74.

Subtract the steals from the equation and Westbrook is on pace to be the first player to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 assists, and 7.5 rebounds since Magic Johnson in 1988-89. If you’re expecting there to be a long list after Johnson, don’t hold your breath.

Before Johnson and Westbrook, the only player in NBA history to average at least 20.0 points, 10.0 assists, and 7.5 rebounds was Oscar Robertson.

What Westbrook is achieving in 2015-16 is Hall of Fame level greatness.

Westbrook is a polarizing individual due to his tendency to force the issue offensively and take wild shots in clutch moments. He’s begun to tame those erratic ways and channel his energy into something positive.

Some will reference his 4.2 turnovers per game, but his assist-to-turnover ratio borders on 2.5, which is more than acceptable given his ranking of No. 2 in the NBA in assists per game and No. 9 in scoring.

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