Russell Westbrook Reacts to LA Clippers Debut

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Russell Westbrook made his LA Clippers debut on Friday night, tallying 17 points to go along with 14 assists and 5 rebounds. Westbrook provided everything the Clippers hoped he would, pushing the pace and finding shooters in route to a franchise record 174 points.
When asked about his debut after the game, Westbrook said, "Just the ability to be able to guard and compete. That's something I don't take for granted, being somewhere and given the opportunity to go play. Not just that, but the support. The organization, my teammates, the fans. Overall, it was a great debut, but just didn't get the win. That's the sad part about it. But taking out of it, just being able to go out and compete and the support system was at an all-time high, so I'm very appreciative of that."
The Clippers ultimately fell in overtime, largely due to Westbrook wrongfully fouling out, which the NBA has since admitted. Despite this, there were a lot of reasons for optimism after a game like this.
When asked how he felt out there, Westbrook said, "Just trying to find ways to be effective while I'm on the floor, and whatever's asked of me. Screening, whatever role and handling whatever that may be. Cutting, just trying to do different things to impact the game. Using my IQ to be able to make plays for others."
It was a solid debut for Westbrook, who projects to really help the Clippers as they enter the regular season's stretch run.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.
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