Clippers guard Russell Westbrook is only the fourth most important player on the Clippers this season, but his play on both ends has been pretty solid all year long. In fact, according to Westbrook, he’s been among the best guard defenders in the league so far and deserves consideration for the All-Defensive team.
“Ain’t too many people defending better than me at this point if we keeping it honest,” Westbrook said, via the LA Times. “But I’ll let the numbers speak for that and let y’all talk about it but we just keeping it a buck, ain’t too many people defending better than me at this position all around the league, honestly.”
In a recent showdown against the Dallas Mavericks, Westbrook made his presence felt defensively down the stretch of the game with a huge clutch steal that helped to seal the team’s 9th straight win. While the All-Defensive first team is a bit of a stretch for Westbrook, improved play on that end of the floor is the key to extending his career and keeping his role within the Clippers rotation. After years of criticism for his efforts defensively, it’s a good sign that he’s showing real commitment to improving that aspect of his game.
Westbrook Making Sacrifices
Westbrook was facing a lot of questions about his career following his nightmarish stint with the Lakers. Alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he was just a horrible fit and they were never able to find traction on the court. Since coming to the Clippers late last season, Russ has revived his career with improved play all across the board. In the 2023 playoffs, Westbrook proved his value by leading the Clippers to a competitive series in the absence of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
This campaign, Westbrook’s numbers have dipped and he’s averaging the least amount of points of his entire career so far at just 11.1 per game. Even so, Russ has accepted his new role off the bench this season, and his renewed commitment to two-way play has given the Clippers a much-needed boost through the first few months of play.
Clippers Are For Real
The Clippers were viewed as a wild card coming into the season. With Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and head coach Tyronn Lue, everyone knew they would pose some kind of threat in the West. But when the Clippers traded for Harden in November, and the team started an ugly losing streak, there were some major doubts about their championship potential.
Currently, however, the Clippers are rolling. As winners of nine straight games, they have risen to 4th in the standings out West and are just one game back from the Nuggets for the third seed. While it’s still early on, and the Clippers still have so much to prove, they can no longer be ignored as a legitimate title threat. And if Russell Westbrook can step up as an elite defender off the bench, it will make the Clippers that much harder to beat in April, May, and June.
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