Stephen A. Smith recently made comments about Russell Westbrook and his legacy. Westbrook was the first player in NBA history to have a 35 point, 20 assist triple-double, recently against the Pacers and all Stephen A. Smith had to say was “last night’s numbers mean absolutely nothing to me.” His argument was that we are all accustomed to Westbrook‘s crazy stat lines but Westbrook has reached a point in his career where championships are more important than any stat line he gets.
Stephen A. Smith believes that it’s unacceptable that he was an MVP and played with amazing teammates like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Paul George just to name a few, and still hasn’t been able to get a championship. People also talk about Russell Westbrook‘s poor three-point shooting as a reason why he hasn’t got a championship.
Like many others, I disagree with Stephen A. Smith and the points he made about Westbrook. At the end of the day, Russell Westbrook will be mentioned as one of the best point guards of all-time. There haven’t been many players in NBA history who approach the game like Westbrook. Players like Steve Nash and Allen Iverson won regular-season MVPs but were never able to get a championship. However, they are still considered amazing players. There is only so much a player can do to help elevate their team. Coaching, depth and management all are critical factors that play a role in a team’s chances of winning a championship.
Westbrook has also played in an era of super teams. It was difficult to beat a team like the Golden State Warriors with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green. As well, Russell Westbrook is not known as a good three-point shooter, but that isn’t a reason why couldn’t win a championship. Lebron James isn’t the greatest three-point threat but he was still able to pull off a championship last year. Damian Lillard is considered one of the best shooting threats in the league. Has he ever come close to a championship?
Overall, not every great player has won a championship. You can still be considered an all-time great without a championship in your resume.
Photo Credit: AP
