Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook has been one of the best guards of the decade, with his playmaking being one of his best attributes. Westbrook has led the NBA in assists two times during his career.
Westbrook’s ability to set up his teammates has earned him a spot in the top five for highest assist average of the 2010s. According to Justin Kubatko of Stat Muse, Westbrook has the fourth-highest regular season assist average spanning from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 30, 2019.
With his ability to get into the key, Westbrook does well finding open teammates on the perimeter or players cutting for a potential basket.
According to NBA.com, assist points created records the number of points a player or team makes through assists. Since the stat began being kept in 2013-14, Westbrook has ranked in the top 10 for six seasons, including this season. Out of those six seasons, Westbrook ranked first in the category twice. This season, he ranks ninth, with 19.1 assist points created.
Westbrook is the only other player in league history besides Oscar Robertson to average a triple double for a season. What’s more, Westbrook accomplished the feat in three straight seasons from 2016-2019.
Highest assist average in the NBA from Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 30, 2019 (min. 400 GP):
1️⃣ 9.39 – Rajon Rondo
2️⃣ 9.38 – Chris Paul
3️⃣ 9.2 – John Wall
4️⃣ 8.8 – Russell Westbrook
5️⃣ 7.75 – Ricky Rubio
6️⃣ 7.71 – LeBron James* regular season only
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) December 31, 2019
The decade has been filled with individual accolades for Westbrook, but as he plays his 12th season, winning a title is what’s next. Westbrook and backcourt mate James Harden have helped the Rockets to a 22-11 record, good for fourth place in the Western Conference.
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