Wizards Notes: Westbrook, Brooks, Team Decisions

Russell Westbrook will average a triple-double during his first season in Washington regardless of what stats he accumulates in the remaining six games. This is the fourth-straight season that Westbrook accomplished this feat and this one might be the most impressive, given he played through part of it with a torn quad.

“At the end of last season, there were a lot of conversations about if I could play or not. My quad was torn and then unfortunately at the start of this season, I tore my other one, but I was playing through it and trying to compete for my guys,” Westbrook told FortyEightMinutes and other reporters via zoom after the win over the Pacers.

Westbrook missed six games earlier in the season because of the ailment, though we didn’t know the severity of it. Part of the reason he didn’t miss more games was because Washington had contests rescheduled because of COVID-19 issues. Still, the 32-year-old’s season is even more impressive given the circumstances.

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Westbrook now has 178 career triple-doubles, only three behind Oscar Robertson’s 181 for the all-time record. With six games left and only one back-to-back, it’s feasible that the Long Beach-native could break the record before the 2020-21 campaign is complete.
Scott Brooks has been named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month, the team announced in a press release. The Wizards went 12-5 during April after starting the month 0-3. At the All-Star break, there seemed to be only a slim possibility that Brooks would return next season. However, his ability to help lead the Wizards back up the standings, as well as his relationship with the team’s two stars, has re-opened that door.
Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated details why the Wizards ditched their jerseys in their team photo, opting for social justice T-shirts instead.