Wizards Shouldn't Welcome Back Former Point Guard

This guard was in his prime with the Washington Wizards, but his deficiencies do not help improve the team's needs and shortcomings.

Jan 31, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) and Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) defend in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Wizards are chasing their first NBA championship since 1978. One of the former players, Russell Westbrook, is not only hunting for his first ring, but the point guard is also searching for his next team.

The last time that the Wizards even made the playoffs was when Westbrook was on their roster. The former Oklahoma City star has been in the postseason the past three years. That's something Washington and its fan base could surely be jealous of.

With the Wizards sending off Jordan Poole to the New Orleans Pelicans for CJ McCollum, and team also moving on from Malcolm Brogdon, Bub Carrington is the projected starting point guard. Thus, would a reason with Westbrook make sense at this.

Here are three reasons why it would not.

Denver’s Russell Westbrook is declining his player option for next season to become an unrestricted free agent on June 30, league sources tell @TheSteinLine.

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 13, 2025

1. Washington needs help from deep.

The Wizards were the second-worst team in the NBA last year from behind the arc. As a team, they shot 33.5% from three-point range. He is no John Wall, the former Wizards guard who just retired.

That was worse than only the Orlando Magic, and they still managed to make the Eastern Conference playoffs. In fact, three of the teams from the Southeast Division were in the bottom five for three-point shooting last season.

Poole and Marcu Smart were two of the Wizards top three-point shooters with percentages above the team average. Neither player will take the court for Washington this season.

Mar 15, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) reacts before the game against the Washington Wizards at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Westbrook is a career 29.9% three-point shooter. He is inconsistent to say the least. In the last three years in the playoffs alone, the former Wizard went from 35.7% (2023), to 23.5% (2024) and then back to 31.7% (2025) recently.

Yes, Westbrook will get his numbers as he averaged a triple double in both the regular season and the postseason for Washington during the 2020-21 NBA season. His best mark from deep (35.6%) came three years ago and that's still only two percentage points better than the Wizards' average last season.

If the Wizards look to improve their shooting from behind the arc, Westbrook is simply not the answer.

Mar 1, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives past Washington Wizards guard Johnny Davis (1) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

2. Westbrook is also prone to turn the ball over.

Though the former UCLA Bruins player has reduced his turnover average over the past few seasons, most of that has been due to his usage rate. It's been three seasons since Westbrook has averaged 32 minutes per game.

The popular free agent has a career 3.9 turnover average per game. The Wizards tied for the fourth-highest mark of 14.9 per contest. On ration, Westbrook would account for more than 25% of the Wizards lost possessions.

Washington needs players who don't turn the ball over. Westbrook averaged nearly one turnover for every two assists last season with the Denver Nuggets. That's another bad ratio to have on a team with playoff hopes.

May 31, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) reacts after making a basket in the first half against the Philadelphia 76ers during game four in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

3. Westbrook is a defensive liability.

Finally, the 36-year-old is towards the end of his career and can't keep up with the elite point guards in this league like Shai Gregious-Alexander, De'Aaron Fox, Ja Morant, and more. Furthermore, Kyrie Irving and Tyrese Haliburton are up there too, but both are currently out due to injuries.

The Wizards allowed 121.2 points a game last season. That was the worst in the Eastern Conference and second-worst in the league. Their opponents' field goal average was a 47.1%, tied for 11th highest mark in the NBA.

If Washington is going to add anyone to its current roster, it has to be an upgrade in regard to those three categories. As of now, the Wizards kick off their preseason slate without Westbrook on October 12 against the Toronto Raptors.

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