The Los Angeles Clippers were touted as the team to defeat in the Western Conference ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season. But the Clippers had a slow start to the season, and many expected the team to disappoint once again. Well, things have changed for the Clippers over the last few months.
The Clippers are currently the fourth seed in the West with a 33-28 record. However, the team was still missing out on having a good point guard. The franchise decided to fill that spot by signing Russell Westbrook following his buyout was finalized with the Utah Jazz.
Westbrook’s arrival at the Clippers has been met with mixed reactions from fans. While some believe that Russ will genuinely help the team in winning the NBA title, others think Westbrook will not be a good fit for the roster. Law Murray of ‘The Athletic’ recently gave his insights on how Westbrook will mesh up with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Via The Athletic:
Westbrook takes some ballhandling responsibility off of George and Leonard. In a vacuum, the question will be why the Clippers would want the ball in the hands of a player that has struggled lately to make shots at the rim, has rarely been an accurate jump shooter and has had a high turnover rate.
But Westbrook can get to the free throw line at a high rate, is still a good playmaker, and can push the pace. And if it means that George and Leonard have more juice to be efficient later in games, then the Clippers will take that.
Murray gave his assessment of Russ’ move to the Clippers with a pinch of salt as the analyst weighed in on the pros and cons of the move.
Russell Westbrook Will Be A Starter Alongside Kawhi Leonard And Paul George
The Clippers have been in search of a quality point guard who can start alongside Kawhi and George throughout the season. It has been reported that the franchise plans to start Russ in order to lighten the ballhandling burden off of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
But will Westbrook becoming a starter for the Clippers be a good decision? After all, Russ only played well with the Lakers after head coach Darvin Ham assigned him a bench role.
Westbrook is still a decent playmaker, which will be his primary role with the Los Angeles Clippers. That seems to be the plan; whether it will succeed or not is something we cannot confirm as of now.
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