Russell Westbrook picked up his 18th triple-double of the season Thursday. The Washington Wizards point guard had 16 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately, the Wizards lost… by 29 points, 120-91.
In addition to the triple-double, Westbrook had nine of the Wizards 14 turnovers. The Wizards also shot an embarrassing 6-of-19 from the free throw line, including Westbrook going 1-of-6. It was an all-around abysmal not for the Wizards against the woeful Pistons, who have the worst-record int he Eastern Conference.
The loss drops the Wizards’ record to 17-30. With Westbrook another triple-double to, he now has more triple-doubles than the Wizards have wins this season.
Westbrook is a walking triple-double. He currently has 164 during his career which is second all-time in NBA history. He set the Wizards franchise record for most triple-doubles all-time in less than one season. However, Westbrook and his triple-doubles have not equated into wins for the Wizards this season.
The Wizards acquired Westbrook from the Houston Rockets for John Wall and a future first-round draft pick in December ahead of the 2020-21 season. The assumption was the Wizards were getting an upgrade, pairing Westbrook with cornerstone Bradley Beal. Wall had missed much of two years with a torn Achilles. Getting out of his super-max deal, grabbing the 2017 NBA MVP seemed like a steal.
Yet, the Wizards’ struggles have not ceased with the addition of Westbrook. Beal has become an NBA All-Star starter this season. Beal also leads the league in scoring with 31.3 points per game.
Individually, Westbrook is having an amazing season. He is averaging 21.6 points, 10.7 assists and 10.3 rebounds in 40 games. Yet, the Wizards are 13-27 when he plays. Overall they are 13 games below .500 and 2.5 games out of the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference.
Amid their recent struggles, the Wizards have been without Beal for the last three games (1-2) with a bruised hip. There is still time to make a push to make the postseason, but Westbrook and the Wizards are running out of time with 25 games remaining on the schedule.
