Russell Westbrook had a bad season last year.
There’s no doubt the nine-time NBA All-Star wasn’t as good as he usually is.
That being said, he still averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game in 78 regular season games.
Fans and media blamed much of the Lakers going just 33-49 on Westbrook’s struggles.
Even if he wasn’t great, it was far from his fault.
Recently the new NBA 2K23 video game released, and Westbrook was classified as 78 in total.
Meanwhile, Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons is ranked an 80 in total.
Simons is a very good young player.
That being said, he probably shouldn’t be ranked higher than Westbrook by two points.
If they were at the same rank, that would be one thing, but the fact that the game ranks him higher is surprising.
Simons finished his fourth season in the NBA, averaging 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 57 regular season games.
Westbrook has averaged more than him across the board and has also played in 21 other games.
On top of that, the Trail Blazers were even worse than the Lakers, finishing the year with a 27-55 record.
Simons shot 44.3% from the field and 40.5% from three-point range.
Meanwhile, Westbrook shot 44.4 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from three-point range.
Additionally, Westbrook is a former MVP and should benefit from doubt over his ability to bounce back in 2023.
This ranking was confusing.