It’s official, Oklahoma City guard and MVP frontrunner Russell Westbrook will average a triple-double this season. This is the first time any player has acheived this accomplishment since Oscar Robertson did it during the 1961-62 season. Westbrook clinched the feat Friday night during the Thunder’s matchup against the Suns in Phoenix.
Let’s go back to June 2012 when Westbrook and the Thunder were in the middle of an NBA Finals series against the Heat. After game two, with the series tied 1-1, Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla wrote a piece touting then Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson as preferable to Westbrook. Here are some excerpts…
“Given a choice between Ty Lawson of the Nuggets and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, you could bet 29 of 30 general managers would pick the point guard stealing shots from Kevin Durant at the NBA Finals.
They would be wrong…”
“…Lawson brings all the confidence of Westbrook without the hotheaded histrionics. Facing accusations of an unreliable jumper, Lawson has worked on his shot so much that his career field-goal percentage is an impressive .499. While Westbrook makes turnovers, Lawson makes teammates look good.
Talent evaluators and number crunchers alike would laugh now at any suggestion Lawson will be a smarter long-term choice than Westbrook.
Check back in five years. Don’t forget to bring a thank-you note.”
It’s been just about five years. Lawson, now with Sacramento, has had a nice career but its nothing compared to what Westbrook has done. The previous two seasons have been particularly tough for Lawson as he missed numerous games with injuries.
Looks like we’ll hold the thank-you note about this one.
