NBA History: Ranking the 15 greatest point guards of all time

15 greatest point guards in NBA History — No. 13: Russell Westbrook

When players refuse to age gracefully, it often colors the opinion of fans negatively towards them. Not every all-time great manages to adapt as they age and their athleticism declines. That matters in evaluating their career as a whole, but not as much as the strength of their peak. Russell Westbrook is just such a player, and not the last one on this list.

For all of Westbrook’s current struggles, he was an athletic marvel and competitive fiend during his prime. He is part of an elite group of players to ever lead the league in scoring and assists during his career, joining LeBron James, James Harden, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson — heady company. He was a two-time scoring leader, a three-time assists leader, and famously averaged a triple-double in three separate seasons.

Westbrook was certainly recognized as a star. He made nine All-Star games and, even more impressively, nine All-NBA teams. In 2016-17 he won the MVP award as the lone star on an Oklahoma City Thunder team that made the playoffs. And while he wasn’t always the easiest star to play with, he has almost always been on good teams, including four trips to the Western Conference Finals and one spot in the NBA Finals as part of 111 career playoff games.

Westbrook’s peak burned out fast, and it looks unlikely he will make the shift in his game and mentality to elongate an effective career that could add to his standing. That mindset and work ethic helped make his career a possibility and such a success in the first place, but there is little chance Westbrook will add any accolades to his ledger.