Russell Westbrook needs to post 11 rebounds against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden to raise his season average to a triple-double 19 games into the season, unprecedented territory in the FanDuel NBA generation.
All Russell Westbrook has to accomplish Monday night to entrench himself in elite company is to pull off a feat he makes appear pedestrian.
The 6-foot-3 point guard is 11 rebounds away from raising his season average to a triple-double.
Through 18 games this season, Westbrook has pulled down 11 or more rebounds on 10 occasions, becoming one of the most dominant defensive rebounders in the process.
Westbrook ranks fifth in the NBA with 140 defensive rebounds, a figure that stands as 57 more than any other player at his position.
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Only three players standing 6-foot-3 had ever finished the season with 600 total rebounds, Westbrook is on pace to total more than 650 defensive rebounds this year.
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No player shorter than 6-foot-4 has ever averaged 10 rebounds per game for a season, but Westbrook is threatening to become the first, while flirting with the scoring and assist crowns this year.
In his ninth year in the NBA, and first without Kevin Durant, Westbook has not only become the top offensive priority in Oklahoma City, but in the entire NBA. Westbrook has a usage rate of 40.8 percent, a mark that would stand as an NBA record if it stands.
Oklahoma City has no problem allowing Westbrook to finish four out of every 10 offensive plays, as he is producing 31.2 points and 11.1 assists, 9.9 rebounds a night.
The scoring and assist averages rank second in the NBA.
Westbrook’s ability to sky to the rim, resulting in a total of 72 dunks and layups this season, has allowed him to convert better than 60 percent of his attempts at the basket.
Russell Westbrook monster dunk https://t.co/zf9c8haXg1
— StreetHistory Videos (@streethistory) November 23, 2016
All that stands between Westbrook joining Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson in averaging a triple-double, although the 19th game of the year means the season is 23.1 percent complete, is an 11-rebound effort in New York.
Westbrook has shined under the lights of Broadway, averaging 25.4 points, 7.1 assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in seven career appearances in Madison Square Garden.
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Replicating the same success will be a difficult task, as Westbrook has historically struggled when matched against New York point guard Derrick Rose.
In eight career meetings, all while Rose was playing for the Bulls, Westbrook has lost five times and averaged 19.1 points on 41.4 percent shooting along with 6.8 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 4.0 turnovers per game.
Westbrook has converted just 1-of-14 attempts (0.71 percent) from 3-point range when being defended by a team featuring Rose.
The two last squared off on Christmas Day last year, as Westbrook overcame a rough shooting night, as he was limited to 26 points on 1-of-7 attempts from 3-point range, but he contributed eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
With 11 rebounds standing between him and an incredible triple-double average with December looming, Westbrook is poised for another stellar FanDuel NBA performance.
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