“Congratulations, Russ, you’ve pulled an all-time historical feat” - NBA analyst says Russell Westbrook is the most overpaid player in NBA history, making him untradeable
Russell Westbrook has opted into his contract with the lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">LA Lakers for another year. Even though he didn't have much success with the team last season, there was no reason to reject the $47 million player option.
Thanks to his contract, Westbrook is now the second-highest paid player in the NBA, right behind Steph Curry ($48.07 million). While Curry is one of the league's greatest players and definitely deserves his contract, the same cannot be said for the Lakers point guard.
On "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," analyst Skip Bayless had some harsh words about Westbrook:
"He is the single, most-overpaid player in the history of basketball, because nobody is going to make $47 million and plunge all the way down to the fifth tier, the bottom tier of being ranked. It just doesn't go together. Congratulations, Russ, you've pulled off an all-time historical feat. You are the most overpaid player in the history of your league."
Bayless referred to The Athletic's ranking of Top 125 NBA players for the next season, where Westbrook was placed in the lowest tier of players.
Russell Westbrook is one of the NBA's worst starters
The Athletic put Russell Westbrook in the bottom tier of the rankings because he was not effective last season. Expecting him to turn into a superstar next year is unrealistic, which is why he's barely a Top 100 player in the NBA.
Westbrook was placed in the same category as Maxi Kleber, Ayo Dosunmu and Terry Rozier. While he is much more well-known than those three, he may no longer be a better player than them.
The Athletic ranks Westbrook in the lowest tier of NBA players. Did they get this right? @RealSkipBayless reacts: https://t.co/LefFsF0THx
Skip Bayless pointed out how bad the 33-year-old point guard was last season. He brought up his averages, which were solid, but also the negative numbers Westbrook posted.
"Those numbers look OK, but, to me, if you factor in all the negative numbers, he became the single-worst consistent starter in the whole league," Bayless said.
Westbrook was a horrible 3-point shooter, and he also converted 66.7% of his free throws. His turnover rate was extremely high as well, making him one of the league's worst starters.
Westbrook's place among the all-time greats
Bayless questioned Westbrook's place among the all-time greats in league history.
Russell Westbrook is well on his way to the Basketball Hall of Fame, but there's no denying turnovers are a major hindrance in the Lakers' star's game. https://t.co/5jqzGXs3nE
He pointed out how many fans and analysts assumed he'd be a first-ballot Hall of Famer before last season, but things may have changed.
"Going into last year, everybody would've assumed that he was a slam dunk, first-ballot Hall of Famer, and then he makes the all-time Top 75," Bayless said. "Trust me, if you reranked that right now, there is no way he belongs in the Top 75 all-time."
Westbrook has one more year with the Lakers and will have to put on a great show if he wants to silence his doubters.