Rockets’ Trade for Russell Westbrook Was Very Much a Huge Mistake
By Jerry Trotta
Remember when virtually every NBA fan was buzzing following the blockbuster trade between the Rockets and Thunder that sent Russell Westbrook to Houston and Chris Paul to Oklahoma City?
Well, things aren't exactly working out for the Rockets as Brodie is posting the worst shooting numbers of his career.
Though 19 games, Westbrook is shooting 39% from the floor, and 21% from three while averaging a whopping 4.5 turnovers. To (somehow) make matters worse, he isn't setting up buckets for his new teammates, accumulating just 7.3 assists per game.
Russell Westbrook is shooting 21% from three (career-low), 39% from the field, averaging 4.5 turnovers, and his lowest APG (7.3) in 5 seasons. The Rockets gave up two firsts for this level of play and it appears to be a colossal mistake.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 6, 2019
His assists numbers were bound to decline given the sheer ball dominance of James Harden, but Russ is averaging 34.2 minutes per game. It's quite apparent that the former MVP is far more preoccupied with getting his when Harden doesn't bring up the ball rather than orchestrating a cohesive, fluent offense.
Despite the fact that him and Harden didn't exactly mesh together on the hardwood back when both players were on OKC, Rockets general manger Daryl Morey coughed up a pair of first-round picks for Westbrook to help get his side over the hump in the playoffs.
Russell Westbrook season averages
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) December 6, 2019
21.7 PPG (20.1 FGA)
8.1 RPG
7.3 APG (4.5 TO)
39.9% FG
21.1% 3PT
73.7% FT pic.twitter.com/Fwe8GbaqVB
Don't let Houston's 14-7 record deceive you, folks. The Westbrook-Harden tandem is proving to be an unmitigated disaster.