When the NBA’s regular season ends, Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook will – for the fourth time in five years – average a triple-double.
Are you aware?
I bet you were in 2017 when Westbrook became the first NBA player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to accomplish this eye-popping feat – his highlights were front and center on Sports Center for a good month.
Westbrook was the talk of the NBA and earned MVP honors despite his Oklahoma City Thunder finishing as a 6-seed in the Western Conference playoff race.
The following year Westbrook duplicated his amazing triple-double feat in a year the Thunder finished 4th in the Western Conference standings. Westbrook finished 5th in MVP voting.
In 2019, Westbrook finished the regular season averaging 22.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists and wasn’t even the lead MVP vote-getter on his own team. Thunder forward Paul George finished 3rd in the voting. Westbrook finished 10th.
According to odds-makers, Westbrook will finish outside the top-10 in MVP voting this season.
Why are we desensitized by greatness? Why does the media hype history when it’s made, but back off when duplicated?
You’re probably more aware of LeBron James’s ankle injury than you are Westbrooks yearly stat-line assault and place in NBA history.
And that’s a shame.
