Isaiah Thomas says Russell Westbrook was harder to guard than Stephen Curry

Thomas holds Westbrook in the highest regard

In the 2010s, the NBA had multiple superstar guards, including Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, and more. Since Thomas and Westbrook were peers during that decade, they became familiar with each other and the other top guards.

Since they all played against each other during that span, all those players have differing opinions about who was the toughest to guard. Some might say it was Curry, while others would say Lillard or Irving.

Thomas thinks that Westbrook was the toughest player to guard during that decade. He even said that the influential 2017 MVP winner was the most difficult matchup he ever had as an NBA player.

“The hardest to guard, I would say OKC Russell Westbrook. It looks hard to guard Steph, and I’m not even saying it’s not; it’s really hard to guard Steph. It’s hard to guard Kyrie and all those other guys. Russell Westbrook in OKC, and he was faster, stronger, and jumped higher than everybody,” Thomas said on a podcast interview.

“Getting triple-doubles. That was the most difficult player I had to guard. Tough cover for me. It changes for different people, but he had the height advantage on me, and it is the same in terms of speed; he jumps higher than me. We had our battles, but that was a tough cover for me.”

Westbrook still has a lot to give in the NBA

Out of all the players who are still looking for an opportunity in the NBA, Westbrook is probably the biggest name in the free agent market. He was still a good player during his stint in Denver. During the 2024-25 season, he still averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.

He can still help plenty of NBA teams, especially since he proved he could thrive as a role player. Westbrook is past his prime now, but he remains a productive player.

Some people are linking him to the Houston Rockets to reunite with his old friend-turned-rival Kevin Durant. It would be a storybook moment for the two former MVPs, which could happen because of Fred VanVleet’s torn ACL.

No matter what happens to Westbrook, people are aware that he is a legend. He is 36, but his talents are still there, which could be extremely helpful for a team that wants to succeed. Some people in the media are still against him, but people like Thomas will always support Westbrook’s quest for success.