Was Russell Westbrook's 2017 MVP season overrated?
When people look at Russell Westbrook's 2017 MVP season, they usually see the triple-double averages and automatically assume this was one of the best MVP seasons of all time. Averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists is obviously incredible, but I think you have to dive deeper into why he actually won the MVP before making that claim. Westbrook carried a pretty average roster to the sixth seed in the Western Conference and had an incredible final game of the regular season to complete his historic season. Although many people call him a stat padder, you cannot deny that his triple-doubles helped the Thunder win. Oklahoma City went 33-9 in games where Westbrook recorded a triple-double, which is a 78.6% winning percentage.
At the same time, there were definitely flaws in his MVP season. Westbrook had a 41.65% usage rate, averaged 5.7 turnovers per game, and had subpar shooting splits. He shot 42.5% from the field and 34.3% from three. Regardless of these flaws, this season was still historic, and I don't want to take that away from him. However, when compared to other MVP seasons from the 2010s, I don't think it reaches the same stature as some of them. The triple-double makes the season look even better at first glance, but when you actually look deeper, I think Westbrook's 2017 MVP season was overrated.
okcthunder. “Russell Westbrook Wins 2016-17 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award.” @Thunder, NBA, 27 June 2017, https://www.nba.com/thunder/
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