Russ earned under 0.3% of Clippers’ salaries. He accounted for more than 35% of their playoff points via points and assists. And was an irreplaceable part of the defense vs elite players.

It’s without question that the signing was a massive success. With regards to leadership and mentoring younger players as well.

A higher salary would put that a little bit into perspective and there’s no guarantee to get similar defensive or shooting performances. However, the playmaking and leadership alone, along with the ability to take on volume when the stars are out (and they will be) are highly valuable. That latter part will be tough, if not impossible to find at that price tag if Russ walks.

There’s always gonna be folks who are gonna dislike him or his playing style regardless of what happens on the court. That’s clear from the comments and it’s fine at the same time. Just hope Westbrook and the team (whichever that is) can stay healthy and be on the same page, compete together.

Denver ran over Phoenix tonight after messing around a bit in Q2. Much more aggressive on Booker, forced him to shoot contested shots. His shooting percentage aligned to his playoff performance from last year (43% from the field). KD also got bodied a lot. KCP/Gordon/Brown are good individual defenders and letting those guys take turns on KD/Booker with more strategic double teaming against the sideline or when they enter the paint seemed to work. Jokic had a bad first half but turned it up in the 2nd half. Murray had a very good 2nd half and found a more ideal role as a playmaker instead of volume shooter. Denver really should’ve won 1 of the 2 games in Phx. I think they’ll clean up a few things and get the job done in Game 6.

Ultimately I don’t think bringing Russ back should be priority #1 – if he’s willing to take a short-term, moderately-priced deal then sure, re-sign him. But if someone throws him like $15-$20M/yr? Wish him well with his new team.

Getting younger, more athletic, and more…let’s just say “enthusiastic” (i.e. guys who give a fuck every night, not just at the end of the season), should be the priority, even if those guys aren’t necessarily as skilled and/or 100% ready to go – I know it’s a weird concept but young guys can actually get better over the course of a season. We especially need some transactions at PF. I will be extremely disappointed if the Clips bring back EJ, MM, and Ty next season.

I wonder if Lucas can breakdown Russ with Kawhi vs Russ without Kawhi in advanced stats. I haven’t looked at the numbers, but my gut says Russ played better without Kawhi and would’ve been better coming off the bench.