Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook have only been teammates on the Denver Nuggets for a few months, but they already have a great understanding on the court. A compilation of Jokic hitting Westbrook on cuts recently went viral on X and it is beautiful to watch.
Jokic hitting Westbrook on cuts pic.twitter.com/lo0iRi32Dd
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 13, 2025
Jokic’s passes are always on point and Westbrook just times his cuts to perfection as well. It is a very simple play but you’d be hard-pressed to find a duo in the league today that executes it as well as these two do.
It’s a shame that Jokic and Westbrook weren’t teammates when the latter was in his prime as they would then have been an unstoppable duo. Teams are finding it hard enough to stop this two-man game when the 2017 MVP is well past his best.
During a practice interview prior to a game against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 7, Westbrook shed some light on the connection with Jokic.
“He’s not loud-spoken by any means, but internally he knows and we talk a lot throughout the game,” Westbrook said. “I tell him to communicate without even saying nothing, which is great. He could see something, I could see something in our point, we’d be thinking the same thing and it’s a great dynamic.”
That’s the best kind of connection, where the players don’t even need to say anything. It speaks to Jokic and Westbrook’s basketball IQ that they’ve been able to connect to this level in such a relatively short period of time.
The Jokic-Westbrook connection worked to great effect in the Nuggets’ 112-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Sunday as well.
Jokic finished with 19 points (6-13 FG), 18 rebounds, nine assists, and three steals against the Mavericks. Five of those nine dimes were to Westbrook, who finished with a team-high 21 points (10-17 FG) to go with 10 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and two blocks.
The Nuggets have improved to 23-15 on the season with this win and while they remain fourth in the Western Conference, they are within touching distance of the 25-12 Houston Rockets, who are second. The Nuggets have gone 12-5 in their last 17 games and if they keep winning at this rate, they might just catch up by the end of the month.
Russell Westbrook Is A Man Reborn With The Nuggets
When the Nuggets acquired Westbrook this past offseason, not many thought he’d be a difference-maker for them. Before arriving in Denver, the nine-time All-Star had an awful stint with the Los Angeles Lakers and a solid but unspectacular one with the Los Angeles Clippers. It was thought we’d see more of the same but that hasn’t been the case.
Westbrook has been a key contributor for the Nuggets and one could well argue he’s been their second-best player after Jokic. The 36-year-old is averaging 13.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2024-25.
Westbrook has particularly impressed when he’s started games and the Nuggets have gone 13-4 in his 17 starts. With Aaron Gordon finally returning from injury against the Mavericks, it will be interesting to see what the team does with the former MVP. Does Westbrook go back to the bench or will someone else have to move aside for Gordon?
We will get the answer to that question soon enough. The Nuggets will be taking on the Mavericks at American Airlines Center again next at 9:30 PM ET on Tuesday.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
