Russell Westbrook owns all top five spots in single season assists per game for OKC Thunder.
The Thunder arrived in Oklahoma City in 2008, and since then have featured some of the game’s elite distributors. From Russell Westbrook to Chris Paul and then Shai Gilgeous-Alexander there has been no shortage of All-Star-level point guard play.
We will take a look at the five best performances in Thunder history in terms of assists per game for a single season, and despite the competition one player stands out above the rest.
Russell Westbrook, 2019, 10.7 APG
Westbrook was a dominant force in the NBA for much of the 2010s, making nine All-Star teams. It shouldn’t be much of a surprise to find him featured throughout this list, particularly at the very top spot. The 2018-19 campaign was his last in Oklahoma City before he was traded to Houston for Paul that summer. Westbrook’s 10.7 assists per game were a career high at the time and also a league-leading mark. He also put up 22.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per night, allowing him to average a triple-double for the third straight season.
Russell Westbrook, 2016, 10.4 APG
Westbrook finished fourth in MVP voting in 2016, a season that saw him finish second to Rajon Rondo of the Sacramento Kings in assists per game. He would also become a member of his fifth All-Star team and earn First-Team All-NBA honors for the first time in his career. Aside from the dimes, Westbrook averaged 23.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game in the season that preceded the trio of triple-double campaigns.
Russell Westbrook, 2017, 10.4 APG
The 2016-17 season was rather notable for Westbrook, one in which he took home the league’s MVP award and became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average a triple-double. Aside from finishing third in assists per game, he also led the league in points per game at 31.6 and pulled down 10.7 rebounds per night – the 10th-best mark in the league. Westbrook was also named to his third-straight All-Star roster and finished First-Team All-NBA for the second time in as many years.
Russell Westbrook, 2018, 10.3 APG
Westbrook led the league in assists for the first time in his career in 2018. It would also be the last season that he averaged a triple-double, pouring in 25.4 points and pulling down 10.1 rebounds per game. His efforts would see him finish fifth in MVP voting, earn Second-Team All-NBA honors and be named to his seventh All-Star squad.
Russell Westbrook, 2015, 8.6 APG
The 8.6 assists were at the time a career high for Westbrook in his seventh NBA season, and they ranked fourth best across the Association. He also lit up the scoreboard, averaging a league-high 28.6 points per game – also the high-water mark for him until two seasons later. Westbrook’s 2015 campaign would end with a fourth-place finish in MVP voting and a spot on the All-NBA Second Team.
