It might be time to consider Russell Westbrook as a starter
In the games that Russell Westbrook has started for the Denver Nuggets, they are 10-4. That increases their total win percentage this season by nearly 20% and might serve as an answer to the team’s recent dullness.
Westbrook went on a journey this offseason, which ended his short year and a half with the Los Angeles Clippers after they traded him to the Utah Jazz. Denver then picked him up from a buyout option which ended his two-day tenure with Utah. It was expected that Christian Braun would fill the shoes of the departed shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, leaving Westbrook to run the bench unit as the backup point guard.
In all fourteen games he’s started this season, it’s been due to an injury in the original starting lineup. His first five starts were in response to Jamal Murray, as he became the starting point guard. The Nuggets went 4-1 over that span, including a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder (30-5) where Westbrook had a season-high 29 points.
His last seven starts have been due to an injury to forward Aaron Gordon, who has had a day-to-day calf injury since the end of December. In this span, he’s averaged 13.5 points with eight assists as a power forward. Denver went 4-3, including a Nikola Jokić-less hard-fought loss to the Boston Celtics, where Russ finished with 26 points but had eight of the team’s 16 turnovers.
A third option could be putting Westbrook over Braun as the shooting guard, but Braun has done great work in his starting job. He has two years of experience learning how Denver basketball is ran from the bench and has fit in well averaging nearly 14 points and five rebounds.
However, when Westbrook is on the floor with Jokić, it unlocks another level to both players’ games. Jokić has always had generational court vision, finding the hidden downcourt players and has the second most assists this season.
With Westbrook on the hardwood with him, it unlocks more athleticism for the team and creates space for more lanes to open up. Some nights Russ can be the most productive scorer on the floor when Jokić is sitting, but his high turnover rate will stain his record. However, their chemistry is improving by the night.
If Denver were to put Russ in the starting five, it might catch the league off guard for those not paying close attention. At one point, Westbrook was the best player in the league. In his prime, he was a spark putting up 30 points a game and finishing with high MVP votes for five years in a row, winning it in 2016-17.
Since his departure from Washington back in 2021, his league reputation quickly soured in his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. By the 2022 season, his shooting percentage hit an all-time low and he lost his spark, even adopting the nickname “Westbrick” from fans. Working off the bench with Denver has given him a blank slate, and it might be time to begin seriously considering him as a starter again.
The Nuggets look to respond from their loss, facing off against the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night at 7 p.m. MST. It will be a game-time decision for Jokić and Gordon, determining if Westbrook will start his eighth consecutive game.
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