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FanDuel NBA Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup For January 15

By Brendan Galella

Dec 21, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 21, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) is defended by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

As Russell Westbrook continues to pile-up the triple doubles, he is the most effective player in FanDuel NBA leagues this season.

Russell Westbrook is one triple-double away from joining one of the most exclusive clubs in NBA league history.

Only Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain have ever totaled 20 or more triple-doubles in a single season, with Westbrook on the verge of joining the club in just his 42nd game of the 2016-17 campaign.

Friday night in Minnesota, Westbrook posted 21 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, his 19th triple-double of the year — a figure that is eight more than anyone else this season and marks the most since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, surpassing his total amount of triple-doubles from a  year ago.

The triple-double performance was the 56th of his nine-year career, placing him five behind Celtics legend Larry Bird for the fifth most in league history.

At the halfway mark for the year, Westbrook is the NBA’s leading scorer at 30.8 points per game, ranks second in assists at 10.5 per game and is pulling down 10.7 rebounds a night, 12th most in the league.

Even though its point guard is averaging a triple-double for the season, Oklahoma City is campaigning on social media to encourage fans to select Westbrook as a starter for next month’s All-Star Game in New Orleans.

The uptick in rebounding from Westrbook is generally attributed to him filling the void left behind after Kevin Durant’s departure to Golden State.

In reality, Westbrook is becoming the greatest rebounding guard of his generation, and has a chance to surpass Robertson’s productivity in collecting errant shots.

The rebounding numbers for Westbrook have increased each of the past five years, with his 8.8 defensive rebounds per game representing a higher rebound total than he has ever had any year during his career.

Westbrook has made the most of every rebounding opportunity, collecting over 70 percent of the available missed shots to him this year, the highest figure among any player averaging 3.0 or more rebounds.

The 8.8 defensive rebounds Westbrook is posting a game is the fifth highest total in the league and according to NBA.com, if he is in position to grab the missed shot, there is a 90.3 percent chance he will corral the ball — the highest percentage among players averaging 7.0 or more defensive rebounds a night.

Aside from threatening to become just the second player in league history to average a triple-double, a feat not accomplished since Robertson in 1961-62, Westbrook is hoping to become the most effective rebounder out of the backcourt in five decades.

It all adds up to an average of 57.4 points in FanDuel NBA tournament play a game, the most of any player in the league.

In every aspect of the game, Westbrook is an elite performer in FanDuel NBA leagues and he deserves a roster spot for Sunday night.