Is OKC Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook on the back end of his career?
Triple-doubles by era
Finally, let’s analyze how Russell Westbrook’s triple-double statistics have varied by era.
Kevin Durant era
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/14/2019.
Even knowing what Westbrook is capable of now that we’ve seen him average a triple-double for three straight seasons, it would have still been hard to imagine him doing so during the Durant era. Both Westbrook and Durant, along with Harden and Adams, were all much younger and still developing into the players they are today.
Sure, they must all continue improving and evolving to stay competitive, but their inexperience as young professionals simply was not conducive to any of them achieving such a feat. Nonetheless, the last couple years of the Durant era foreshadowed what was to come in Westbrook’s career.
Solo star era
| Season | TRB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 10.7 | 10.4 | 31.6 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/14/2019.
During his only season as a solo star, Westbrook did what many thought might never happen again by averaging a triple-double for an entire season. He did so by notching 42 triple-doubles to surpass the famed Oscar Robertson.
Paul George era
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/14/2019.
With Paul George by his side, Westbrook continued to make the impossible seem pedestrian by completing two more seasons that averaged a triple-double. Not much more needs to be said than that.
The trend
Russell Westbrook is tied for having the second most triple-doubles in NBA history at 138. He is included with such company as Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107), LeBron James (81), Wilt Chamberlain (78), and Larry Bird (59), among others.