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Love him or hate him, you simply can't ignore Russell Westbrook. The 2017 NBA MVP splits opinion every single day and is possibly the only active player who'll get criticized for putting up a triple-double.
While fans of Russell Westbrook point out that his numbers are unheard of, his naysayers point towards the turnovers or his shooting inefficiency. Interestingly, there are several stats and records owned by Westbrook to support either school of thought.
More records on the way for Russell Westbrook?
The athletic freak that he is, Russell Westbrook continues to shine on this struggling Washington Wizards' team. He's been racking up the numbers despite the Wizards' being only 20-33 with 19 games left in the regular season.
There are still several records that Russell Westbrook could achieve by the end of the 2020-21 campaign. Let's have a look at five of them.
(Note: All stats are accurate as of April 12, 2021)
#1 Most triple-doubles in NBA history
Not many expected Oscar Robertson's triple-double tally of 181 to be dethroned before Russell Westbrook exploded onto the scene. Westbrook first recorded 42 triple-doubles in the 2016-17 campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder to break the single-season record. Brodie has continued with the same level of performance ever since.
After managing another 23 triple-doubles with the Washington Wizards so far this season, Russell Westbrook's total tally stands at 169, just 12 short of Robertson's number. Westbrook has recorded a triple-double in 12 of his last 16 games. If he's able to continue with the same 75% hit ratio over the remaining 19 matchups of the season, he'll easily clear the magic number.
#2 First player in the three-point era to average five or more turnovers per game in multiple seasons
As good as Russell Westbrook has been in putting up incredible numbers, his high usage rate results in a lot of turnovers. He has committed a total of 229 turnovers from 46 matchups this season, just one short of a per-game average of five.
Westbrook has already averaged 5.4 turnovers per game during the 2016-17 campaign and is very close to averaging five a game this year with the Washington Wizards. If that turns out to be the case, Westbrook will become the first player in the three-point era (since 1980) to average five or more turnovers per game in multiple seasons.
James Harden came excruciatingly close to the record previously. He had already averaged 5.7 assists per game during the 2016-17 season. In 2018-19, The Beard recorded 387 turnovers in 78 appearances that season, putting his per-game tally at 4.96, just short of the dreaded number.
#3 Most triple-doubles in losing and winning cause
Russell Westbrook has a 126-43 record in 169 games where he's scored a triple-double. In comparison, Oscar Robertson has a 131-50 win-loss record across his triple-doubles.
Westbrook needs just another six wins with a triple-double to achieve the all-time winning record, while eight such losses will condemn him to the all-time losing record. Such has been the Washington Wizards' predicament this season that Westbrook could break either or both of those two records.
#4 First player to average a triple-double in four seasons
Russell Westbrook's incredibly consistent production over the years makes this record come across as rather obvious. Nobody expected a player to repeat what Oscar Robertson managed in his sophomore year, but Westbrook did so by becoming only the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double.
Mr. Triple Double then did one further by averaging the same in a second consecutive season in 2017-18. Westbrook even went on to record a hat-trick of seasons with a triple-double average in the 2018-19 campaign.
Things changed a bit when Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets, but he's back to his usual exploits this season. Westbrook is averaging 21.7 points, 10.8 assists and 10.7 rebounds in the 2020-21 campaign. He's likely to record a triple-double again this year, which would make him the only player in NBA history to do so four times.
#5 First player to average a triple-double and not make the playoffs
Despite Russell Westbrook playing out of his skin, the Washington Wizards are only the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards are two games behind the final play-in spot but their current form doesn't suggest the likelihood of them bridging the gap.
Westbrook is on course to be averaging a triple-double this season as well. If the Wizards miss out on the playoffs, this would be the first instance of a player averaging a triple-double and not making it to the postseason.
The Cincinnati Royals made it to the playoffs in the 1961-62 season when Oscar Robertson averaged a triple-double. Even OKC Thunder made the playoffs from 2017 to 2019, the three consecutive seasons where Westbrook had previously averaged a triple-double.
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