It took the Sacramento Kings long enough, but they finally benched Dennis Schroder and started Russell Westbrook at point guard. In return, Westbrook delivered history by collecting his 205th triple-double as well as becoming the eighth player in NBA history to tally 10,000 assists.
While the early weeks of the season have not been kind to the Kings, there have been bright patches. Sacramento's young players, such as Keon Ellis, Maxime Raynaud, and Nique Clifford, have had moments of brilliance. And Zach LaVine continues to prove he's a shooters' shooter.
The big one is Russell Westbrook. When the Kings started down the road of signing a player going into his 18th season, everyone questioned why. Yes, he's an absolute legend with plenty of gas in the tank, but he's another guard on a team overloaded with guards. It's a bit of a problem for the Kings.
Westbrook proceeded to shut every doubter up by becoming the engine the Kings needed. Russell continues to rack up double-doubles and triple-doubles, which is impressive. But his energy, attitude, and passion for the game are infectious, particularly for the rookies on the team.
Westbrook makes more history with the Kings
At this point, Russell Westbrook has a list of accomplishments and accolades so long that LeBron looks at it and says, "Damn!" The thing about Brodie is that he just doesn't stop, either, and last night's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves was no exception because he just keeps adding to that list.
Westbrook successfully picked up his 205th triple-double, maintaining his status as the reigning all-time league leader. This time, he had 13 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds. Russell also knows that Nikola Jokic is knocking on that triple-double leader door and will likely step through it someday.
His game-leading 14 assists also got him well over the mark of 10,000 over his entire career, making him the 8th player to achieve that goal. Even more impressive is the fact that Westbrook is only the second player in history to also collect more than 25,000 points while doing it. The first was LeBron.
These accomplishments are impressive, but to a player like Westbrook they likely feel a little hollow when his team is in the midst of a five-game slump. Still, these records continue to highlight how good a player Russel is, and how he remains a good fit for whatever the future holds for the Kings.