NBA legend and Hall of Famer Gary Payton, known as “The Glove,” offers his insightful and strongly opinionated take on Sacramento Kings point guard Russell Westbrook, addressing both his relentless pursuit of the triple-double and the criticism he frequently faces from fans and analysts.
The Triple-Double Secret: Old School Rules
Payton first addressed Westbrook’s prolific ability to achieve the triple-double, which he makes “look so easy.” According to Payton, the key is simply rebounding.
However, Payton quickly drew a contrast between his playing era and today’s game, explaining why point guards in the 1990s rarely chased double-digit rebounds:
“Point guards – we didn’t get a lot of rebounds like that because our big men would tell that they’re going to knock our face off if we go down there because that was in their contract to get rebounds, you know what I’m sayin’? They wouldn’t let us come down there and rebound the basketball.”
Payton suggests that the modern game allows point guards more freedom to chase rebounds, a statistic that was once strictly the domain of centers and power forwards.
The Westbrook Mentality: A Pure Winner
Addressing the prevalent sentiment that sometimes dislikes Russell Westbrook, Payton dismissed the criticism entirely, expressing his admiration for the guard’s unwavering authenticity and competitive spirit.
Payton is a strong supporter of the player, stating, “I love the kid. The kid is one of my favorites. So I could care less what people think about him.” He emphasized the importance of Westbrook staying true to himself:
“Stay yourself and that’s what I like about him is that he stays himself. He doesn’t shy back from what he wants to do and what he wants to say so, f*** it… He’s doing it, he’s making it happen.”
Payton believes that Westbrook’s personality shouldn’t change for anyone, or else he would lose his respect.
Finally, Payton challenged the popular narrative that Westbrook is a “cancer” or difficult to win with. He flipped the script, stating that the players around him are often the problem, not Westbrook himself, because of his intense desire to win.
“They talk about that he can’t win with good players because he’s a cancer to other people, but they’re a cancer to him because he’s just a WINNER. That’s what happens when you get a guy with that winning mentality.”
