Russell Westbrook made his return to the Sacramento Kings last night against the Grizzlies after missing three games due to injury. But this wasn't the Brodie everyone knows and loves. Westbrook had a rough night shooting and finished with zero rebounds. It's a sign of the end of a great career.
As it stands right now, Westbrook is the NBA's king of triple-doubles, not to mention being in the top 20 for all-time double-doubles. The man can score, collect rebounds, and make assists, and has continued to climb similar all-time lists for those stats as well.
That's what makes last night's performance so surprising. Even before the injury, Westbrook had been in a bit of a shooting slump, both in volume and in consistency. That happens to every player, though, and the only way to work through is to just keep shooting.
Russell Westbrook loves collecting rebounds
What was far more disconcerting was the fact he picked up literally zero rebounds last night. That's only the second time this season he's had no rebounds in a game. It's strange because Russell is known for his single-minded, tunnel-visioned focus on chasing rebounds down.
This season, Westbrook is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, which is actually a bit off from his career average of 7.0 per game. His career total for rebounds is currently 8,963. That's not enough to put him in the top 25 all-time but it's still an impressive number.
2025-2026 isn't Russell's worst rebounding season by far. Still, keep in mind that he is the guy who averaged a triple-double for three straight seasons in OKC and one in Washington. Between those four seasons, he was averaging 10.9 rebounds per game.
The Kings need Westbrook firing on all cylinders
There are two factors at play. First, he did just come back from an injury and had a bit of rust to shake off. Fair enough. Second, Brodie is in his 18th season in the NBA and his game has changed, which is also more than fair. He's just not going to average a triple-double anymore.
Sure, the Kings need him bringing his top game every time he hits the court. But that can only be the best he's got right now, not the best from a decade ago. Westbrook is still an amazing player. It's just that how he demonstrates that on the court is going to be different this late in his career.
That doesn't change how weird it feels. Fans know they're coming to an end of an era as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant close in on retirement. The same is true for Russell Westbrook, who was a huge part of that era. Games like last night are reminders that the end is near.