There's one main area in which Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone expects Russell Westbrook to impact right away.
After being bought out of the final year of his contract once again, it was a bit surprising to see the Denver Nuggets emerge as the favorites to sign Russell Westbrook. Even though the Nuggets did have a need for backcourt depth, especially after losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency, Westbrook didn't really add up as a natural potential target for the Nuggets. Nevertheless, this is a move that Denver hopes will pay off in the future.
For everything that Westbrook has been throughout his career, he's settled nicely into a contributor off the bench over the last couple of years of his career. At this point, you'd imagine that's the role he's going to embrace with the Nuggets too - unless the team is willing to start Jamal Murray and Westbrook together - but I suppose that's another conversation for another day.
But in the words of Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, there's one surprising area of the game in which he's expecting Westbrook to impact the most right away. And it's not something that's been a staple throughout Westbrook's career. Malone believes that Westbrook will help on the defensive end of the floor right away.
Michael Malone says Russell Westbrook could close games this season: “When people talk about Russell Westbrook, nobody mentions defense…End of games last season, he was guarding the opposing team’s best player.”
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) September 26, 2024
Throughout his career, Westbrook has been known for many things - being a dynamic offensive player, being a triple-double machine, and one of the most athletic players in recent NBA history. What he hasn't been credited much for is his defensive prowess. But because of his size and athleticism, it's something he's embraced at times throughout his career.
That's what Malone is perhaps most excited about most for Westbrook heading into the start of the season. And with big questions regarding the starting guard opposite of Murray, I believe it's a pathway to see a Murray-Westbrook backcourt in crunch time at the end of games.
That's, of course, if Westbrook can continue to make an impact on that end of the floor. That's a big question. Even though Westbrook is still an athletic player at this late stage of his career, he's going to turn 36 years old early on into the season.
On paper, Westbrook on the Nuggets still feels like an odd fit. However, it does seem as if Malone has a plan for the veteran guard heading into the start of the season.