Valley of the Suns Season Awards

2nd Place

Russell Westbrook (69)

One man – abandoned by his best friend, outcast by NBA fans and his peers because of his polarizing personality – has sought vengeance upon the league. Russell Westbrook is the destroyer of worlds. A ruthless demigod whom has no regard for your laws or way of life and in the process of pillaging team after unsuspecting team has created himself into a living legend. Breaking Oscar Robertson’s triple double record is something 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years from now when my children or my children’s-children or my children’s-children’s-children ask “please tell us again the story of Russell Westbrook!” I can sit down in my rocking chair with a giant smile honestly say that it was one of the greatest achievements I have ever witnessed.

Westbrook averaged a triple-double while dragging a team of misfit toys into the thick of the playoff standings. Oladipo and Adams are his next best teammates and they truly do not compare to the supporting casts of other superstars in the playoffs.

The craziest part about his season is how much more impressive it is that he is the only other person to ever average a triple-double. Oscar Robertson was the first, but that was in a completely different era, where pace of play was insanely high and stat padding was the norm.

Back in the 1961-62 season the pace of play was 124.9 points per-48. If someone were to put Westbrook in a time machine and send him back to 1961 his adjusted stat line to the pace of play would look like this:

Conversely, if we were to adjust Robertson to present day his stat like would not be as godly though still impressive.

42 is the magical number. The answer to life, the universe, and how many triple-doubles Westbrook finally finished with.

Fun fact: The Thunder were 33-9 when Westbrook recorded a triple-double. Selfish? I think not.