Russell Westbrook Abused 1 NBA Stat Until Nobody Cared

The changing NBA environment helped create more statistical opportunities, but that does not suddenly make Westbrook’s 2017 season unimpressive.

The simple reason is that everyone else was playing in the same league.

Westbrook still became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average a triple-double for an entire season, finishing at 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists while breaking Robertson’s single-season record with 42 triple-doubles.

What made Westbrook special was the amount of offense he was creating while carrying that workload.

Kevin Durant had just left Oklahoma City, which essentially handed Westbrook complete control of the offense. Possessions ran through him, rebounds often started transition opportunities through him and almost every important decision belonged to him.

There were legitimate criticisms of stat-chasing. Research from Harvard later found that Westbrook became more likely to pursue rebounds and assists when he was close to completing a triple-double. A large portion of his defensive rebounds also came uncontested.

That does not erase the accomplishment. Plenty of players have been given massive usage and never came close to doing what Westbrook did.

He Destroyed The Novelty

The real effect Westbrook had was making the triple-double feel normal.

Before 2017, Oscar Robertson averaging one for an entire season felt like one of those untouchable NBA records. Robertson had done it in 1962, and then more than five decades passed through Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James without anybody repeating it.

Westbrook did it, then again, and again. 

Westbrook eventually averaged a triple-double four different seasons and retired as the NBA’s all-time leader with 209 career triple-doubles.

No longer was the reaction, “A triple-double? That is insane.”

The reaction eventually became, “How many did Russ have tonight?”

That is where the Brando comparison works. Film students watching Marlon Brando decades later might wonder what was so revolutionary because the naturalistic acting style he helped popularize became normal afterward.

Westbrook did something similar to the triple-double.

The feat did not become less difficult overnight. Westbrook simply repeated it so frequently that fans became desensitized to it.

Then Everybody Started Getting Them

Westbrook was also arriving at exactly the moment league conditions became friendlier toward triple-doubles.

More three-point attempts created more long rebounds for guards. Faster pace produced more total possessions. Positionless basketball put the ball into the hands of larger playmakers, while heliocentric offenses increasingly allowed one star to control scoring and passing opportunities.

Triple-doubles started exploding across the league. One analysis found that the NBA went from 46 triple-doubles in 2014-15 to 75 the following season, with totals continuing to rise afterward. Increased pace was one of the contributing factors.

Then came Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, James Harden, Domantas Sabonis and other players who made filling every section of the box score look normal.

Jokić has pushed the idea even further, reaching 198 career triple-doubles by May 2026, only 11 behind Westbrook’s eventual record of 209.

Westbrook did not single-handedly cause the increase, but he became the face of it.

From Triple-Double King To “Westbrick”

The other reason fans started disrespecting Westbrook’s numbers was that the winning did not always follow them.

Oklahoma City finished 47-35 during his MVP season but lost to Houston in five games in the first round. Westbrook had produced one of the greatest statistical seasons ever, but critics could immediately point toward the playoff exit.

That criticism became much louder later in his career.

By the time Westbrook reached the Lakers in 2021, declining athleticism and poor shooting made the flaws harder to hide. The “Westbrick” nickname became attached to his struggles, especially when missed jumpers and turnovers became social-media clips. Westbrook publicly pushed back against the nickname because of how it affected his family.

Suddenly the same player who had once made triple-doubles look superhuman was being criticized for producing empty statistics.

End Of My Westbrook Rant

Westbrook’s historic 2017 season should not be overshadowed. Averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists while breaking a record that had survived for 55 years was ridiculous.

The irony is that Westbrook may have damaged the reputation of his own greatest accomplishment simply by doing it too often.

Triple-doubles did not become useless because they stopped being difficult. The NBA became faster and more favorable toward all-around stat accumulation, while Westbrook repeated the feat so frequently that the novelty disappeared.