"Supremely overrated as a winning basketball player" - Russell Westbrook criticized by Skip Bayless as the latter picks Ben Simmons as a better player
If you thought that Russell Westbrook was a debated star in the NBA before, just wait until he has a year in Los Angeles. The nine-time All-Star has spent the last couple of years on a variety of teams but will now find himself back in the national spotlight more than ever with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Appearing on Fox Sports Undisputed, Skip Bayless went into detail about why he thinks Ben Simmons is a better player than Russell Westbrook.
"Westbrook has always been supremely overrated as a winning basketball player. It's why KD finally couldn't take it anymore. Ben Simmons has always been subtly underrated as a winning basketball player."
While Simmons has continued to be the talk of the NBA offseason, it's a bit of an alarming take by Bayless. If we are talking about just wins and losses, the two compare favorably. Simmons has a career record of 178-97 (.647) over the course of four seasons, with the Sixers making the playoffs three times. Westbrook, on the other hand, has a career record of 567-376 (.601) over the course of thirteen seasons, with his teams making the playoffs eleven times.
Ben Simmons 1 spot ahead of Russ in latest rankings:
"Westbrook has always been supremely overrated as a winning basketball player. It's why KD finally couldn't take it anymore. Ben Simmons has always been subtly underrated as a winning basketball player." — @RealSkipBayless https://t.co/Ci5Ad29ZR2
If you dive a bit deeper, the numbers get even more interesting when you compare the two. Although Simmons hasn't been in the NBA for as long as Westbrook, he's never seen his team advance past the second round of the playoffs. Russell Westbrook, who has been known as one of the most fierce competitors in the NBA, has made it to the Conference Finals four times during his career as well as one NBA Finals appearance.
Some would say that the best players show up when the stakes are at an all-time high. That's been the case for Westbrook, who has put up impressive numbers in the NBA playoffs. In 11 years, Russell has gone on to post averages of 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game while shooting 40.8% from the field. Ben Simmons respectfully has put up 13.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game while shooting 57.1% from the field.
After a year in which Westbrook put together one of the most impressive second-half displays of basketball in the NBA, he now finds himself on a talented Los Angeles roster with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It's no secret that the Lakers will be one of the most dangerous championship contenders in the NBA this year. Given Westbrook's pedigree and competitive nature, he should be a welcome asset in preparing LA for a deep playoff run.