Russell Westbrook has been a force for the LA Clippers in the playoffs, especially in the absence of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. While the results may not have necessarily gone the team’s way, as they trail 3-1 to the Phoenix Suns, there’s no denying that the mercurial guard has been playing his best basketball.
NBA analyst Justin Termine opined as much when he said this was “the best version of Russell Westbrook we’ve ever seen.”
“This has been the best version of Russell Westbrook that we’ve ever seen.”
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— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 25, 2023
Termine was accurate with his analysis, as the 34-year-old’s performances speak for themselves. Barring the first game, where he had a measly nine points to show for, Westbrook poured in 28, 30, and 37 points in the next three games taking his average to 26.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.3 assists.
In addition to playmaking and running the offense for the Clippers, Westbrook has also metamorphosized as the team’s primary scoring machine.
Such has been his dominance that he has fared better than the Lakers trio of Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, and D’Angelo Russell in the playoffs — the three players who the Lakers acquired in exchange for Westbrook.
Kevin Durant Backs Russell Westbrook After The Scathing Criticism He Endured Earlier This Season
They may have had their share of yelling on the floor, but Kevin Durant was lavish in his praise of his former OKC teammate and backed him after the latter was subjected to intense criticism earlier when he was a Laker.
“People going to always criticize when you’re successful… Russ has been resilient his whole life…When he retires, people are really gonna tell the truth about how they feel about his game. Right now, it’s a fun thing to do to make a joke out of Russ. The way he has been playing shows who he really is,” Durant said.
It should be worth noting that Westbrook has nothing to prove and has perhaps done more than what was expected of him when he linked up with the Clippers. And even if he and the short-handed unit fail to vault over the Suns’ challenge, there’s no doubting that fact that he has earned the respect of his competitors.
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