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Russell Westbrook's Strong Statement on Kawhi Leonard

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook spoke about his former teammate on the LA Clippers
Matt Guzman|
Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) brings the ball up court against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Chase Center.
Apr 13, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) brings the ball up court against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Chase Center. | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

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Russell Westbrook, speaking ahead of the Denver Nuggets' first-round playoff series against the LA Clippers, made sure to go further in depth than he did a few weeks back.

The first order of business? Assess his competition.

"Kawhi is really, really good,"Westbrook said when asked about Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. "He impacts winning in different ways."

This season, Leonard only played 37 games for LA, but finished the season healthy, appearing in nine straight wins dating back to March 26 to close the year. The forward averaged 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on near-50 percent shooting from the field to lead the Clippers to the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference.

Despite the injuries he's sustained throughout his career, he continues to return to the court in hopes of making an impact. His reasoning for doing so is simple.

“I love the game," Leonard said. "I love the game. I have a passion for it still. I love to compete out there. That’s pretty much what drives me back. Everything has its ups and downs. You have to go through that in life and just keep going."

Leonard and the Clippers now have a chance to contend in the Western Conference, but the road to getting there won't be easy, especially with Nikola Jokić standing in the way.

Tipoff of Game 1 between the Nuggets and Clippers is set for 3:30 p.m. EST Saturday.

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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