On ESPN’s The Jump on Thursday, Scottie Pippen said that Russell Westbrook’s season is the greatest he has ever witnessed. Pippen, of course, played with Michael Jordan, so that’s extremely high praise coming from him.
Scottie Pippen says Russell Westbrook’s season is the greatest he’s seen
Obvious reminder: Pippen played with MICHAEL JORDAN.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
You can see video of Pippen saying that here, with the conversation unfortunately flowing right past his statement instead of following up on it:
TRACY McGRADY: “If I’m looking at Westbrook, there’s no way I can knock it if he gets the MVP alone. I can’t knock that. This may be the greatest single season performance we’ve ever seen.”
SCOTTIE PIPPEN: “It’s the greatest I’ve ever seen.
In Pippen’s rookie season, Jordan averaged 35.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks. The next year, Pippen saw firsthand as Jordan rattled off averages of 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 2.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
Pippen said Westbrook is having an even better season this year. The enigmatic Thunder point guard is set to become the second player since Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 season to average a triple-double, and Westbrook’s doing it while leading the league in scoring at 31.8 points per contest.
SB Nation’s Zito Madu makes the Westbrook MVP case right here, saying it shouldn’t even be a question. I’m not sure about that. But man, it would be hard to see Westbrook walk away from this season without it.
