A little over three years ago, Russell Westbrook was considered washed as he struggled with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fast forward to today, and he is on his second team since. But playing alongside Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, there has been a visible resurgence from the former league MVP.
Last season, Russell Westbrook played a vastly different role on a stacked Los Angeles Clippers squad. He was the leader of the bench and came off it to produce stellar performances from time to time. That led to the Nuggets courting him this offseason.
A major move for a superstar who was happy playing in his hometown of Los Angeles for the past three years. In that time, he managed to do a lot for his community and hoped to win a title at home. However, the NBA’s salary cap along with the Clippers struggles made it harder for him. That is where the Denver Nuggets came in.
The first quarter of the season was not a good start to his life in Colorado. The 2023 champions labored to a 11-10 record and looked like a shell of their championship self. However, in the midst of that run and the subsequent 8-3 stretch showed an interesting development.
Russell Westbrook as a starter
Head coach Michael Malone had inserted Russell Westbrook as a starter in games when one or the other starters were absent. But Malone must have noticed something in those games that made him formally name the 36-year-old as one to play when the opening whistle sounds.
Westbrook as a starter has unlocked a new dimension in the Denver Nuggets gameplan. The superstar has become a secondary playmaker alongside Jokic, alleviating a lot of pressure from the three-time league MVP.
At the same time, it throws opposition defenses off balances, as they are still trying to figure out how this new iteration of the Nuggets offense works. The LA native is by no means one of their top scorers. But he takes high efficiency shots from time to time.
That means, the starters have one more point of attack if and when the need arises. If he plays sporadically, the pressure is on the rest to create as well as score. His playmaking ensures Jamal Murray thrives in a shooting guard role, and Nikola Jokic can score without always being double-teamed.
Nuggets team defense
Earlier, the Denver Nuggets had youngster Christian Braun playing alongside Jamal Murray. Murray is an ok defender, but alongside Braun, the tandem becomes worse. The youngster is nowhere near as capable as former starter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was on defense.
That ended up being a problem in the initial part of the season as opponents made them pay. With Russell Westbrook as a starter, his quickness and hustle allows him to play as a secondary help defender. That has been a major contributor in the team managing to stay toe to toe with good teams.
In fact, they managed to avoid being blown out by league leaders Cleveland Cavaliers, which in itself is a major improvement over the course of a month. On top of that, they have managed to beat the surprisingly good Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks.
Now the franchise has a legitimate replacement for Caldwell-Pope’s efforts on the perimeter, which goes hand in hand with Aaron Gordon‘s interior defense. Westbrook is also helping the younger bench players learn the tricks of the trade as they improve.
Bench production has improved
The bench has not just improved in defense. Russell Westbrook starting has alleviated the pressure on the younger players to perform as well as the starters. Playing alongside Nikola Jokic means one has to be at the top of their game, something his fellow starters are used to.
But the likes of Christian Braun and Peyton Watson still aren’t at that level. That is what forced the Serbian superstar to dominate the scoring charts in back-to-back games early last month. Now that is no longer needed, and the Paris Olympics bronze medalist has happily reduced his need to score.
What that means is that the Denver Nuggets are playing team basketball better than they have in the past year. The impact of the nine-time All-NBA teamer is evident as the team picked up the pace and have produced an 8-3 record since Jokic’s last near 50-point game.
More importantly, Russell Westbrook is 9-2 record as a starter for the Nuggets. If anything, this is the only record that should matter to Michael Malone, Jokic and the rest of the team. They have to keep winning at this pace if they want to stay in the playoff places in a tough West.
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