Russell Westbrook is the realest.
Maybe that has something to do with the fact that he’s averaging a triple-double. You read that correctly. He is Oscar Robertson-ing the the modern-day NBA.
Or maybe Westbrook’s status as the realest is due to him not giving two craps about averaging said triple-double.
As he said after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s win over the New York Knicks on Monday night, per ESPN.com’s Royce Young:
“I don’t really care, honestly, man,” Westbrook said of his historic numbers. “I just like to win and compete at a high level, play the same way every night. I’ve been playing the same way since I got in the league, so I just do the same thing, and [I’m] grateful to be blessed and play the game I love.”
L-I-T.
Westbrook posted the 45th triple-double of his career on Monday night, and that’s what he says. I don’t care. Preaching patience and process and team-over-everything is standard player-speak, but even the most selfless individuals would take time to bask in personal accolades from time to time—as they should.
But Westbrook is so used to these personal accolades. He has developed into the consummate triple-double threat over the past three years. It’s amazing what he’s doing as the Thunder’s lone superstar, and at the same time it’s also so him.
Perhaps he’ll take some time to reflect if he averages a triple-double for the entire season.
More likely than not, though, he would spend the last day of the regular season thinking about the first game of the playoffs, about what time he’ll be waking up to get to the gym, about a turnover he coughed up that night—about anything else other than the triple-double he (theoretically) averaged.
