Hall Of Fame Committee
When I think of the NBA hall of fame my mind automatically goes to the dream team. Guys like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Charles Barkley. Then you have the following generation of players, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Garnett. I don’t think many people can argue that Stephen Curry and LeBron James are guys that have stamped their hall of fame ticket. They both have shattered records, multiple championships and impacted the culture of the sport. They pretty much checked every box, but one current player is causing a debate recently.
Will Russell Westbrook be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
Lets discuss, Points, Assists and Rebounds
Now the first argument most people are going to have is the triple double argument. No doubt! Russ averaging a triple double for four seasons is insane when the only other person to ever do that is Oscar Robertson. Now mind you, the Big O only accomplished that for one season. Westbrook has been putting up big numbers for the last few years, but after taking a look into those seasons something stood out. In the triple double years, he never finished better than 4th in league, he finished 6th twice and 8th once. As impressive as those statistics are, he isn’t winning at the level I wish he would be.
How important is winning a ring to the Hall of Fame?
The next argument someone will have for Russ not winning is on the team. “It isn’t his fault that his team has never been the best.” Now, I understand that he might have never had his chance with a super team, until now, but I still think he should have had a better record than 178-140 (.542) when he is averaging a triple double. The question now becomes, should players who can fill up a stat sheet automatically be inducted into the hall of fame even if his team isn’t winning? There is a list of players that never won a ring and are still in the Hall of Fame. Will Russ be added to the list?
Get the man a ticket!
So, after looking into this a bit more, I truly believe Russell Westbrook will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Averaging a triple double for 4 seasons will be a record that I don’t see someone surpassing anytime soon. In my opinion, Russ will need to instill his level of intensity with the rest of the team. Everyone talks about Michael and Kobe being tough teammates to play with, but they set high expectations and raised everyone’s game. Kobe was being interviewed and he compared his level of aggression and intensity when playing, to Westbrook’s. No bigger compliment in my eyes! But even with that type of comparison, the Lakers are currently 5-3 and 3rd in the West to start the 2021-2022 season. Is Russ capable of leading a Superteam to a championship? I guess only time will tell!
Win or Lose, Russell Westbrook will be in the Hall of Fame. I just want to make sure the stat line he begins to fill up are Wins and Championships!
2 Responses
He should not be in the HOF. Averaging a triple double means nothing when your team is constantly letting you get rebounds. Plus, he doesn’t care about winning, he is all about stat-padding. He doesn’t improve, he still sucks at shooting, and now he can’t even finish at the rim anymore. No he is not a HOF, he’s just a delusional overrated player who only cares about himself and nothing else. That’s the truth.
Appreciate the read and comment James. Westbrook is as polarizing an NBA player as there is. You either love him, or hate him – doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. It will be interesting where he lands as far as the HOF goes in a decade or so…