Russell Westbrook had a down season last year.
There is no question that the nine-time NBA All-Star was not as good as he usually is.
That being said, he still averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per contest in 78 regular season games.
Fans and the media blamed a large part of the Lakers going just 33-49 on Westbrook’s struggles.
While he wasn’t great, it was far from just his fault.
Recently, the new NBA 2K23 video game was released, and Westbrook was ranked as 78 overall.
Meanwhile, Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons is ranked an 80 overall.
Simons is a really good young player.
That being said, he probably shouldn’t be ranked higher than Westbrook by two points.
If they were the same ranking, that would be one thing, but the fact that the game is ranking him higher is surprising.
Simons finished his fourth season in the NBA, averaging 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest in 57 regular season games.
Westbrook averaged more than him across the board and also played in 21 more 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 the three-point range.
Meanwhile, Westbrook shot 44.4% from the field and 29.8% from the three-point range.
In addition, Westbrook is a former MVP and should be given the benefit of the doubt that he can rebound in 2023.
This ranking was puzzling.
.