Signing Russell Westbrook Is A Win-Win Move For The Clippers
One of the key storylines entering the 2022-23 NBA season revolved around what the Los Angeles Lakers would ultimately decide to do with nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook, especially since things did not necessarily work out with him, Anthony Davis and LeBron James alongside one another during the 2021-22 season.
While there were rumors about the Lakers possibly moving Russ in the offseason, nothing ever transpired and he began the year wearing the purple and gold. After three games as a starter though, Westbrook was moved into a bench role with Los Angeles, where he actually played pretty well averaging 16.2 points, 7.7 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game in 49 games.
Struggling to find their footing in the Western Conference though and Westbrook being their only path to fixing this roster, the Lakers moved the future Hall-of-Famer at the trade deadline, sending Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz.
Now, the Jazz and Westbrook are progressing towards a buyout and according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he is prepared to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Earlier this month, Fastbreak on FanNation reported about there being mutual interest between Westbrook and the Clippers and now, he will have a chance to get the ultimate revenge on the Lakers.
Trading away John Wall and Reggie Jackson at the deadline, the Clippers left themselves with no real point guard options in their backcourt. Terance Mann and Bones Hyland have been “point guard” options for Los Angeles leading up to the All-Star Break, as has veteran Eric Gordon, but their offense has mainly flowed through their two stars in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, as both players have seen their number of assists increase since the trade deadline.
Adding Russell Westbrook to the mix now following the All-Star break does a few things for the Clippers, all of which can be looked at as massive positives.
The Los Angeles Clippers are currently 33-28 and sit in the 4-seed slot in the Western Conference. Just 3.5 games separate them from the Utah Jazz, who are currently in 11th place in the West.
There is very little room for error in this conference this season, which is why every game and every little bit of production your players give you matters.
Dealing with injury concerns all season long and very likely to continue their “load management” philosophy in some capacity heading towards the playoffs, the Clippers always have a need for added production.
If there is one player in the NBA that gives it his all every single night despite the circumstances facing him, it is Russell Westbrook and that was very apparent when he accepted his bench role with the Lakers. Westbrook definitely hated the fact that he was not starting and was not in the game when it mattered most, but he remained professional and gave his team everything he had.
Throughout his entire career, Westbrook has always been a hard-worker and he really never takes a day off in terms of playing at 110 percent. This is the kind of player the Clippers need and the fact that the Lakers gave up on him is why this signing is such a win-win move.
We are going to see Russell Westbrook play with a leave of energy and fire we have never seen before simply because he is playing in the same city and in the same arena as the organization and fans who gave up on him. This motivation factor alone is going to push Westbrook to a new level and should he actually play well for the Clippers, just imagine the headlines and stories that will be coming out of Los Angeles!
This truly is the best landing spot for him and if there is one team that truly made sense in terms of the talent they have to surround him with, it was the Clippers.
Los Angeles has shot 37.8 percent from long-range as a team this season, the seventh-best mark in the league, and following the trade deadline, they have even more shooting depth on the perimeter. This is what the Lakers were lacking and one of the main reasons why Westbrook was not successful there.
He is the type of player that can create for himself and others, but if he is not surrounded by shooters and scorers on the perimeter, then Westbrook tends to turn the ball over and struggle offensively. The Clippers have the right pieces to surround Russell Westbrook and they have two All-Star talents in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard who are more than capable of playing off of Westbrook, something Anthony Davis and LeBron James could not do given that they are such ball-dominant players.
At the end of the day, if Westbrook struggles and he doesn’t fit in with the Clippers, they can simply bench him and give more minutes to Bones Hyland, Eric Gordon and Terance Mann instead.
This signing in the buyout market gives the Los Angeles Clippers yet another option to turn to and it will be a massive slap in the face to the Lakers should Russell Westbrook become a key contributor for them heading towards the playoffs.
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