• Russell Westbrook isn’t coming into the 2023/24 season with a championship-or-bust mindset
• The Clippers are going into year four of their current core and are yet to win a title
• Westbrook thinks the Clippers have a lot more growth to unlock this season
Many people thought Russell Westbrook might be on his way out of the league, given how acrimoniously his stint with the Lakers was going. He saved his reputation by a strong stint with the Clippers after signing in March but doesn’t think he will fall into the trap of the ‘championship-or-bust’ mentality.
“That’s the goal, but personally, championship or bust mentality is not a real thing to me. That’s a thing that people make up. It is not true. You could accomplish a lot more. You can create brotherhood, you can learn a lot more about people… There are so many lessons I’ve personally learned throughout the season, friends I’ve added, and different things I learned about. There are so many different aspects to this.”
“Championship or busy mentality is not a real thing to me. That's a thing that people make up. You could accomplish a lot more. You can create brotherhood, you can learn a lot more about people. There's so many lessons I've personally learned throughout the season, friends I've… pic.twitter.com/sBtg9F4CKv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 2, 2023
Westbrook proved he can be a high-level point guard in the NBA on the Clippers in the playoffs, playing in a setup where he fits better. He averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in the five playoff games he played, doing everything in his power to try and upset the Phoenix Suns despite injuries ravaging the Clippers roster.
It’s hard to say that the Clippers are in a championship-or-bust season because I don’t really think they have the roster to do it. They can be a top-four seed and a hard team to beat in the playoffs, but there are too many holes and stagnant players on this roster that would make a championship push very challenging.
The Clippers In A Holding Pattern
Despite attempts at improving the squad this summer with trades, the Clippers have failed. Initially, it was Malcolm Brogdon who couldn’t join the team because of a failed medical. They’ve since been in pursuit of James Harden but refuse to match the high-asking price set by the 76ers. The Clippers were also rumored front-runners in the Jrue Holiday trade before being outbid by the Celtics.
There aren’t many changes the Clippers can brag about, bringing back most of the same team from last season with the hope that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will be healthy. The league has also put into place a participation policy to limit stars in the NBA from load-managing, a rule many believe was put in place with Kawhi in mind.
The roster isn’t materially better, so Westbrook is right. It’s disingenuous to say that this is a contending roster and not winning a title will be a failure. At this point, they should hope to make a deep run in the playoffs and carry that momentum on to next season in their new home arena, with possibly more assets to make a big trade or signing then.
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