Is OKC Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook on the back end of his career?

Final thoughts

There’s really no question as to whether or not Russell Westbrook’s play is declining. Westbrook is clearly still in the prime of his career. You could argue the stats that compose his yearly triple-double average are dwindling, but even that wouldn’t be true, and he’s doing so alongside another superstar in Paul George who is every bit the scoring threat Kevin Durant was.

Perhaps, the biggest limiting factor in Westbrook’s capabilities is his health. He recently underwent a couple of procedures this off-season. One was a cleanup procedure in his knee, something that has become standard practice for him since the initial injury in 2013.

The other was an operation to repair a torn ligament in his left hand. Other than those, Westbrook has remained in pretty good health throughout his career.

Truly, there are only two things left for Westbrook to accomplish. First, he has yet to record a quadruple-double, a feat only achieved by four players in the history of the NBA.

Those players are Nate Thurmond, Hakeem Olajuwan, David Robinson, and Alvin Robertson, all with a grand total of one each. Something tells me Westbrook will catch wind of this at some point next season and make a point to see his name in that record book category as well.

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Secondly, and most importantly, Westbrook still needs to win a NBA championship. Even just one championship would ensure he goes down as one of the greatest to ever play the game. He will forever be remembered as an incredibly talented and accomplished player, but there is just something extra that comes with having “Champion” next to your name.

I think the biggest factor keeping the Thunder from reaching the NBA Finals once again is OKC’s lack of a true 3-and-D player outside of Paul George. This past season saw Terrance Ferguson assume that role, the same role Andre Roberson held in previous seasons.

We can all agree neither of them is particularly good at shooting from beyond the arc. Fingers crossed Sam Presti works a little more magic this off-season to sign a true 3-point marksman to supplement the offensive production Westbrook, George, Adams, and Grant already bring to the court, but that’s for a different article.

Until then, the eight-time All-Star and two-time scoring champion will continue to stay the course with high level competitiveness and consistently stellar performances. Only Russell Westbrook can decide when Russell Westbrook’s play will decline, and that appears to be no time soon.