Karl-Anthony Towns goes viral for Russell Westbrook criticism

Russell Westbrook has put up some stat lines during his NBA career that most players could only dream of, and many people think the Los Angeles Lakers star has a tendency to focus too much on boosting his own numbers. Karl-Anthony Towns feels that is a fair assessment.

During a live interview with Twitch streamer Adin Ross early Monday morning, Towns spoke about how he never concerns himself with stats and is always focused on winning. That led to Ross asking a question about Russell Westbrook. Ross knew the response might create some controversy and told Towns, “if you don’t want to comment on it, that’s fine.” Towns shared his honest assessment of Westbrook’s game.

“He definitely gets stats. He chases stats,” Towns said. “I think he’s a hell of a player, though. I don’t care what anyone says — do you know how hard it is to get a triple-double? And he plays hella-hard. I just think that sometimes he plays too quick. He tries to do too much.”

Westbrook has heard that plenty throughout his career. He broke Oscar Robinson’s record last year when he recorded his 182nd triple-double, and he has only continued to separate himself from Robinson and everyone else on the list. Westbrook has been criticized in the past for padding his stats, and another NBA player took a shot at him over it earlier this month.

Between the comments about Westbrook stat-padding and the way he acted during a recent game against the Lakers, Towns probably isn’t making many friends in L.A.

Photo: Oct 6, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook prior to the preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports