Rockets guard Russell Westbrook earns spot on All-NBA Third Team

It’s the ninth time in the last 10 seasons that Westbrook has been named to one of the league’s annual All-NBA teams.

Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the 2019-20 regular season, as determined by voting from 100 global media members who cover the league (full results).

In 57 games played, Westbrook averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.6 steals in 35.9 minutes per game. For voters, those numbers may have been even more impressive when combined with the understanding that it was Westbrook’s first season adjusting to a new team after spending his first 11 NBA years in Oklahoma City.

In all, Westbrook’s 27.2 scoring average was his highest since averaging 31.6 in his 2016-17 MVP season, and his 47.2% shooting clip with the Rockets was the highest of his 12-year professional career.

Westbrook was joined on the Third Team by Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons; Utah’s Rudy Gobert; Miami’s Jimmy Butler; and Boston’s Jayson Tatum. From the 100 voters, Westbrook received 29 votes for the Third Team and nine for the Second Team, which gave him a combined total of 56 “points.” Among guards, it was enough to hold off Washington’s Bradley Beal (32 points) and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry (26 points) for the final spot.

For Westbrook, it’s the ninth All-NBA selection of his eventual Hall of Fame career. Since 2011, he has made the First Team twice; the Second Team five times; and the Third Team the remaining two years. The only year Westbrook did not make an All-NBA team was in 2014, when injuries limited him to just 46 games played for the season.

Westbrook is now one of only 31 players in league history to have received All-NBA honors at least nine times.

Backcourt mate James Harden, who joined Westbrook as Houston’s representatives in the 2020 All-Star Game, was named to the All-NBA First Team for the four straight season and sixth out of seven.

Led by Harden and Westbrook, the Rockets finished 44-28 and with the fourth-best record in the Western Conference. They have the NBA’s longest current playoff streak at eight straight appearances, and they’re the only West team to finish in the top four in each of the last four years.

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