‘Disappointed in Myself’: Wizards’ Russell Westbrook Not Taking Solace in Debut Triple-Double

Russell Westbrook had a very good debut for his new team, the Washington Wizards. While the team did fall in a close loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Westbrook became the first player in franchise history to get a triple-double in their debut. However, a triple-double won’t change the 0-1 star that the Wizards have condemned themselves to.

The game was close throughout. However, a poor defensive rotation in the clutch meant that Ben Simmons would get an open dunk to give Philly a 4-point lead with 20 seconds to go. The 76ers would win the game by 6 points at the end. Westbrook wasn’t interested in being lauded for his triple-doubles, as indicated by him in the post-game press conference.

Westbrook faced a lot of criticism in OKC Thunder for prioritizing his triple-doubles over team success. While that is an unfair assumption to make, it has hurt his image. But this statement is a good way to set the tone for what he plans on achieving in Washington with Bradley Beal.

Russell Westbrook: Can he lead this team to the playoffs?

Everyone can argue till they are blue about who is the leader of this team, but from the looks of it, it is very obviously Russell Westbrook. Beal might at the moment be a better player in terms of his scoring, but Westbrook brings a pace and aggression to the game most teams struggle to match.

But can Westbrook use that to help this team become a proper contender? He hasn’t missed that many post-season games because his teams usually find themselves there. The Wizards haven’t made the post-season for two seasons, but Westbrook will give them expectations of making it that far this time.

Bradley Beal is one of the best scorers in the league and doesn’t demand the ball like how Westbrook’s previous teammate James Harden did. The opening show of the Beal-Brodie duo was good. Hopefully, they can start winning and find the right balance between them.