Russell Westbrook laughs at question implying OKC needs to contain Rudy Gobert
Russell Westbrook’s pettiness levels continue to be sky-high.
Speaking with reporters at shootaround ahead of Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard laughed off a question suggesting that the team needed to contain Jazz center Rudy Gobert.
Russell Westbrook was quite amused when a reporter asked him how to contain Rudy Gobert: pic.twitter.com/PLP0FwEsWi
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) January 23, 2017
In fairness, it’s a very legitimate question. Gobert is a frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year and is one of the NBA’s elite rim protectors (leading the league with 2.51 blocked shots per game and ranking third among qualified players with his 43.1 field goal percentage allowed at the basket this season, per NBA.com). He has also been on a rampage in his last four contests with awe-inspiring averages of 20.8 points and 18.0 rebounds per game, as the reporter alluded to.
But at the same time, this is just standard operating procedure for Westbrook. He plays the game with a Goliath-sized chip on his shoulder and always sees the opposition as the enemy, scoffing at the very idea that they might somehow be superior in any way. Westbrook hasn’t had the friendliest history recently with rival Western Conference centers either, so Monday’s game should make for quite the clash of titans.
