The fifth chapter of his career Russell Westbrook started with a double overtime loss LA Clippers against the Sacramento Kings in a thrilling game on Friday night.
At the trade deadline, Westbrook was sent from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, officially ending his tenure with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and company. It was immediately clear that Westbrook would not be playing in Utah, pending a buyout so he could sign with a team with championship aspirations.
Once Utah reached an agreement with Westbrook during the All-Star break, it cleared the way for Russell to join the other team in Los Angeles.
With a void at point guard all season, Paul George, Westbrook’s former Thunder teammate, campaigned for management to sign the former MVP. Once Westbrook signed with the Clippers, head coach Ty Lue pulled no punches, inserting him directly into the starting lineup.
As the Clippers seek their first title in history, will Westbrook be the missing piece? The Sporting News breaks down his first game with the new team.
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How was Russell Westbrook’s LA Clippers debut?
the statistics
17 points (7-13 from the field, 1-4 from 3-pointers, 2-2 from free throws), 14 assists, 5 rebounds, one steal, seven turnovers.
The good
Westbrook joined Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Marcus Morris Sr. and Mason Plumlee in the starting five, leaving Terance Mann (who has worked very well at point guard in recent games) back on the bench.
Rush wasted no time making an impact at point guard, providing some simple assists after his attacks to the basket and increasing the pace of the game to find open shooters on the counterattack.
That @UCLAMBB connection!@russwest44 ➡️ @npowell2404 pic.twitter.com/DHVSFWz2TC
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 25, 2023
The Clippers put the ball in Westbrook’s hands and allowed him to start the offense, running various plays from pick and roll to allow the 10th-highest assister of all time to make reads and create easy plays for his teammates.
The Clippers just ran the Spain pick & roll with Westbrook-PG-Plumlee pic.twitter.com/6nP1emK9SZ
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) February 25, 2023
They also experimented for a while Westbrook draws curtains – something he wasn’t willing to do with the Lakers – looking to use him like that when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands.
The Clippers benefited from Westbrook’s presence as a passer immediately, as he reached the 10-assist mark midway through the third quarter.
Late in the fourth quarter, Westbrook extended the Clippers’ lead with less than 20 seconds left. He dribbled past rookie forward Keegan Murray and finished at the rim to give his team a three-point lead with 15.2 seconds left.
Rush in the clutch 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/mka9CrFlMr
—NBA TV (@NBATV) February 25, 2023
me too knocked down his only 3-pointer at a huge point in overtime —his second clutch bucket of the night.
Westbrook ended up getting fouled for six fouls in overtime as the Clippers lost to the Kings in second-highest scoring game in NBA history with 176-175.
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The bad
By now, it’s no secret that Westbrook can’t shoot. According to official NBA statistics, this season he has made 31.9% of his mid-range shots and 29.6% of his three-pointers.
The Kings defended him as a non-shooter, either leaving Westbrook or sending their defender to double-team Leonard or George to create some space problems for the Clippers’ offense at times.
Kawhi better get used to this kind of treatment with Russ playing closing minutes. It will be 4 out of 5 every time. pic.twitter.com/x2faIapTgo
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) February 25, 2023
Fortunately for the Clippers, it didn’t really matter, as they made a record 26 3-pointers on 57.8 percent shooting.
When the Clippers signed Westbrook, his potential problem distance, but in its debut we saw what it looks like in action. Compared to the Lakers, however, the Clippers have better shooters that can make up for the fact that Westbrook isn’t a threat outside of the paint. Your new team doesn’t need you to score as much with the number of offensive weapons they have.
He distance it’s something to look out for on nights the Clippers play a team better defensively than Sacramento (which ranks 22nd in the NBA for it).
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
