Russell Westbrook, at least thus far, has been surprisingly good and efficient for the LA Clippers. Perhaps most importantly, the team may be hitting its stride with Russ too.
Heading into the NBA Trade Deadline, it was clear that the LA Clippers wanted to replenish their backcourt. That much was evident when they acquired Bones Hyland and Eric Gordon (while moving on from John Wall and Reggie Jackson) at the NBA Trade Deadline. However, the other guard addition that they made via the buyout market was very much unexpected.
Shortly after being traded to and then waived by the Utah Jazz, the Clippers signed Russell Westbrook for the remainder of the season. Sure, the Clippers wanted some change in their backcourt but I’m not sure anyone envisioned Westbrook being part of that.
Nevertheless, the Clippers moved forward with the move. And through the first few games of the experiment, it looked like a mistake.
Through the first five games of the Westbrook experiment, the Clippers were 0-5. But perhaps it was more about an adjustment that the team needed to make than it was about Westbrook himself (which is the conclusion that many jumped to). Because even though the 0-5 start, Westbrook was…good. He was efficient on the offensive end, which is something he rarely was for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. There seemed to be a stark change in his game, and for the better.
So now that the Clippers have won four-straight games, it’s hard not to look at how well Westbrook has played with the team.
The LA Clippers have won their last four games
With the Clippers, Westbrook is averaging 13 points, seven assists, and four rebounds per game on 48 percent shooting from the field. He’s still only shooting 49 percent from 3-point range but is shooting less per game with the Clippers. And Russ only shot 42 percent overall from the field with the Lakers.
At least so far, Russ has been good. He hasn’t had a negative impact on the team and he looks to be a solid addition at the midway point of the season. Of course, the big question is whether or not this level of play (an efficient one) is sustainable for Russ moving forward.
Because if it is, this could set the Clippers up for an interesting upcoming playoff run. And who could’ve seen this coming?