“For anybody to say that he didn’t make people around him better is beyond disturbing!” - Former NBA champion takes dig at Colin Cowherd’s comments about Russell Westbrook, cites his credentials as 3x assists leader

NBA analyst Colin Cowherd made a bold claim, saying LA Lakers star Russell Westbrook doesn't make his teammates better. Former player-turned-analyst Kendrick Perkins disagreed with that statement and took to Twitter to express his thoughts. Perkins wrote:

"Russell Westbrook is 3x NBA assists leader. For anybody to say that he didn’t make people around him better is beyond disturbing to me! Just saying tho…"

Cowherd tried to state that Draymond Green is the kind of player that makes his teammates better. Green's ability on the defensive end of the floor, playmaking, and knack for intimidating the opposition's best players makes it easier for his teammates to play freely.

Here's what Cowherd said on his podcast regarding the comparisons between Green and Westbrook:

"Westbrook has never made a teammate better. Draymond Green has made every teammate he's ever played with better."

Collin Cowherd continued:

"Last night he made two field goals, and there's an argument to be made that he totally discombobulated the Celtics offense and Jaylen Brown and was the most valuable player on the floor."

"Find me the teammate Westbrook's made better in his career. Isn't that kind of what basketball is: winning and stuff? Like, isn't that why we are playing, or is it just for you to get your triple-double?"

Why Colin Cowherd's comments regarding Russell Westbrook may not be entirely valid

Russell Westbrook isn't possibly as great a defender as Draymond Green. However, the former MVP is still one of the best playmakers the league has ever seen. Westbrook's ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates is remarkable, considering he has also been a high-volume scorer during his peak years.

Several stars who have played alongside him have had their best seasons in the NBA as his teammates. Kevin Durant won his first and only MVP award playing alongside Russell Westbrook and won all four of his scoring titles during their tenure together.

Paul George achieved a career-high third-place finish in the MVP voting during the 2018-19 season with the OKC Thunder alongside Westbrook. He also achieved a second-place finish in the scoring title race.

Russell Westbrook also helped former OKC big Steven Adams produce the best scoring seasons of his career during the latter's time with the Thunder. Adams averaged a career-best 13.9 points for two years in a row (2017-19), shooting roughly 60% from the floor as Russ' teammate.

Westbrook moved to the Houston Rockets in 2019, where he teamed up with James Harden for the second time in his career. Many thought the move wouldn't work out well, but Harden went on to win his third career-scoring title in that campaign.

The following season, Russ played alongside another All-Star in Bradley Beal, who finished second in the scoring-title race that year, averaging over 30 points per game. These facts make it difficult to validate Cowherd's claim that Westbrook hasn't made his teammates better over the years.