Russell Westbrook is gearing up for his debut season with the Nuggets after some tough times with the Lakers and Clippers.
Coach Malone’s Enthusiasm
Denver’s head coach, Mike Malone, is excited about having Westbrook on the team. โRussell is a game changer for us,โ he shared in an interview. โHeโs a force. You can hear him coming. I just love the intangibles that he brings to us. I think that heโs going to raise the bar, and I think that weโre going to be more competitive because of it.โ
Finding Westbrook’s Groove
To unlock Westbrookโs full potential, he needs freedom on the court. He excels when allowed to control the game’s pace and create chaos during transitions. If boxed into a specific role, his performance may dip. Coach Malone has a task ahead: leveraging Westbrookโs strengths while managing his dominant play style.
Last year, with the Clippers, Westbrook mostly came off the bench but still managed decent statsโ11.1 points, five rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game with 45.4% shooting accuracy. Denver might let him play a bigger part as their sixth man when Nikola Jokic rests.
Filling Gaps Without Jokic
Without Jokic last season, Denver struggledโscoring dropped by 8.4 points per 100 possessions and turnovers went up by 1.9 per game; rebounding also suffered by -4.3 in non-Jokic minutes (source). Bringing in Westbrook could help fill these gaps and keep opponents from catching up when Jokic takes breaks.
Fans hope this move will bring fresh energy to Denver’s gameplay!
The Risky Bet
Adding Westbrook was a gamble for Denver due to his recent struggles affecting how teams view him nowโbut they needed someone who could provide strong offensive support from the bench while also serving as backup insurance for Jamal Murray given his injury history.
Westbrook might just be what Denver needs to reach another NBA finals appearance; if both player and team perform well this season, signing him could turn out to be genius-level strategy! Sometimes risks are necessary for successโand betting on an ex-MVP seems like one worth taking!
