In this off-season, there have been a few notable changes going forward for the Denver Nuggets. The 2023 NBA champions witnessed the departure of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the roster and the uncanny addition of Russell Westbrook to pair alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
Russell Westbrook is a proven veteran addition to the squad, arriving from the Los Angeles Clippers. Westbrook averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists last season, proving as a reliable bench boost to the star trio of James Harden, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard. However, his arrival at Denver begs the question, how good is he as a fit for the Nuggets?
Russell Westbrook is a perfect fit for the Nuggets to bring ‘Scoring’ off the bench: Mark Medina
League insider Mark Medina claims that Russell Westbrook’s veteran experience and leadership for the Nuggets’ second unit could be pivotal for Denver contending for a championship. As per Medina, the Nuggets seemed the only legitimate option for the 35-year-old. Westbrook’s addition could address the lack of bench depth on the Nuggets’ roster. The veteran journalist said,
“The Nuggets were the best fit, because we’ve seen both for better and for worse, how Russell Westbrook is handling the tail-end of his career. And, for the Nuggets’ specific needs, they’ve lost a lot of bench depth. They need help to compliment Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr.“
Medina says that Westbrook could “provide a little bit of energy and scoring” that could further ease the burden off the team’s core championship-winning trio. As a sixth man as well, Russell Westbrook could prove to be a worthy piece for the Nuggets, especially since proving his worth in his short tenure with the Clippers.
The 2017 League MVP played 106 of his last 141 games from an off-bench role, averaging 13.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists while shooting 43.9 percent from the field.
With the Nuggets as well, we can hope that Westbrook might fill in KCP’s and Reggie Jackson’s role of ball distribution for the team. Last season, the pair combined for 6.2 assists, creating 15.4 total points, giving in much energy and bounce for the team to reach the Western Conference semi-finals in the playoffs.
Perhaps Westbrook could be a predominantly off-bench player, proving to the much-needed support cast the trio of Jokic, Murray, and Gordon would need. Moreover, we can expect him to play more minutes this season than his career-low 22.5 minutes last season.
Would this year finally count for Russell to win a chip? We will find out when the season begins.
