Los Angeles Lakers star Russell Westbrook had a very short stint with the Houston Rockets, lasting just one season. While he did put up some big numbers, it appears the organization wasn't exactly too pleased with his output.
Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta recently spoke about how the front office has started to take a more advanced basketball analytics type approach to rebuilding the franchise and in the process, he seemingly threw a savage shot at Russ without actually saying his name:
“It’s analytics you don’t see in the box score,” he said. “You don’t see in the newspaper. It’s different analytics. It’s at a higher level. You can look at a box score and think, ‘Oh my God, this guy had a triple double, he must be great!’ Where this person really was inefficient and wasn’t very good.”
That has to be about Westbrook. Although he did average 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists during his lone campaign with the Rockets, the former UCLA star also committed 4.5 turnovers per game.
But, with a player like Russ, who is so ambitious with the rock in his hands, whether he's driving to the hoop or dishing out dimes, there's always going to be mistakes. He was an All-Star with the Rockets, but they lost in the second round in the Orlando Bubble to eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Also, Westbrook abruptly demanded he wanted out of Houston just a month before the 2020/21 season, leaving the Rockets scrambling to get a deal done. Thankfully, they were able to pull off a blockbuster for John Wall.
There is clearly no love lost between Fertitta and Russ.
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