While the Sacramento Kings have been having a tough season, it's been a genuine pleasure to watch Russell Westbrook play. He has continued to make history in the 18th season of his legendary career, including closing in on the record for the most points scored by a point guard in the NBA.
Westbrook should be widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of basketball. For a lot of people, the fact that he doesn't have an NBA Championship ring means that he doesn't belong on a list like that. Those people are what professional analysts like to call completely wrong.
Regardless of not having a ring, Westbrook remains a legendary player. In his nearly 20 years in the NBA, he has been the NBA MVP, a nine-time All-Star, a two-time All-Star MVP, and was named to the All-NBA First, Second, and Third teams a combined total of nine times.
He continues to make history this season. He has added triple-doubles to his record, maintaining his status as the all-time leader. He moved into the 18th spot on the all-time scoring leader board. He's now the second player in history to have 25,000+ points and 10,000+ assists.
Westbrook is yet again on the cusp of history
Right now, the point guard with the most points in NBA history is the icon Oscar Robertson with 26,710. It's a huge number that Russell Westbrook is closing in on. Currently, Westbrook has 26,490 points, putting him only 220 points away from taking that title over.
It's not so much a matter of if it happens as it is when it happens. Russell is currently averaging 13.6 points per game. If he continues at that pace, he'll be the highest-scoring point guard of all time in just over 16 games. At the very least, he'll take that title this season, likely before the All-Star Game.
Westbrook isn't the only current point guard on the hunt. Stephen Curry is in third with 25,832 points, and Chris Paul is in fourth with 23,050. Since Paul is retiring, it's unlikely he'll catch up. Curry is in his 17th season, so who has the record depends on how much longer he and Westbrook play.
What's amazing about this is seeing how well Westbrook is doing in his 18th season. Based on comments from earlier in the fall, Russell is not planning on retiring any time soon. As long as he feels like he's performing at a competitive level, he'll keep going, and he'll keep making history.