Russell Westbrook Praised by Nuggets' Malone After 'Perfect' Triple Double vs. Jazz

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone heaped praise on veteran guard Russell Westbrook on Monday night following his historic performance in a 132-121 win over the Utah Jazz.

Since turnovers were first tracked during the 1977-78 season, Westbrook became only the third player in NBA history to post a triple-double, while not missing a shot from the field or free-throw line and not committing a turnover, per ESPN Research.

After Westbrook finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor and 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe, Malone said: "First-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. And what I admire so much about him, aside from the leadership and toughness that he brings every single day, is he's got no ego."

Malone went on to commend Westbrook's burning desire to win as well, saying: "He came here for one reason and that's to help us win a championship. And he hates to lose, and that's another thing I love about him. He's built the right way, and I'll go to war with Russell Westbrook any day."

Westbrook was already the NBA's all-time leader in triple-doubles, and Monday marked the 201st of his illustrious career.

Triple-doubles have become less common for Westbrook in recent years than they were during his time with Oklahoma City Thunder when he averaged a triple-double in three consecutive years and won the 2016-17 NBA MVP Award.

After being a starter for most of his career, Westbrook has primarily come off the bench over his past three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and now Nuggets.

Westbrook posted back-to-back top-10 finishes in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting in 2023 and 2024, and he may be positioning himself for an even better result this season.

Starting just 10 of the 31 games he has appeared in, Westbrook is averaging 12.1 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.1 three-pointers made per contest, while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 31.2 percent from beyond the arc.

While much of the credit for Denver's success tends to go to Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., Westbrook has been the Nuggets' most productive bench player by far, and he is one of only four Nuggets players who has appeared in every game this season.

The Nuggets have had some ups and downs this season, but they are now 18-13 after winning four of their past six games, and there is no question that they have the talent and history of success needed to be contenders come playoff time.

Westbrook is already a surefire Hall of Famer thanks to his nine All-Star selections, two scoring titles, one NBA MVP Award and triple-double record, but the one major accomplishment missing from his résumé is an NBA championship.

That is perhaps the biggest reason why Westbrook signed with the Nuggets this past offseason, and that decision seems to be paying dividends.

Westbrook is 36, and while many players who win championships at that age are essentially passengers rather than major contributors, that won't be the case for Westbrook if Denver manages to go the distance this season.