Right after the Brandon Boston Jr. news dropped, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Russell Westbrook would pick up his $4M player option for the 2025 season to return to the Clippers.

In my opinion, this was always the expected outcome. Just like last summer, the idea that Russ had a team out there willing to offer him either a bigger contract or a larger team role (much less both) never made much sense to me. Go down the list of NBA teams and see which ones would start Russ or give him much more than $4M. The answer is most likely none.

However, this does not mean Russ will actually be on the Clippers next year. All the reporting out there is that he doesn’t want to come back, and the Clippers’ front office has never seemed to really want him in the first place. Law Murray of the Athletic confirmed Russ’ player option choice as well as that his actual future on the Clippers remains up in the air.

My hunch would be that Russ gets traded somewhere to be a backup and the Clippers go another direction, but we will just have to wait and see. In the meantime, the Clippers will tentatively have Russ on their roster for the 2025 season.

Russell Westbrook Picks Up Player Option for 2025 Season
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2024 Clippers continues with a look at controversial backup point guard, Russell Westbrook.

Basic Information

Height: 6’4

Weight: 200 pounds

Position: Point Guard

Age: 35

Years in NBA: 16

Key Stats: 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game across 68 games played (11 starts) on 45.4/27.3/68.8 shooting splits

Expectations

Coming into the 2023-24 season, expectations for Russell Westbrook changed dramatically from the offseason. Westbrook immediately became the starting point guard when he was signed on the buyout market in 2022-23. He was expected to be the starting point guard in 2023-24, but the Clippers managed to swing a deal for James Harden in the early days of the regular season.

When the initial backcourt pairing between Westbrook and Harden didn’t quite get off to a hot start, the Clippers ended up moving Westbrook to the bench. He was expected to provide a spark and leadership with the second unit.

Reality

During Westbrook’s short time with the Los Angeles Lakers, his move to the bench didn’t go so smoothly. But by all accounts, he took his move to the bench with the Clippers much better.

For the most part, Westbrook did his job during the regular season. The Clippers starters had a tendency to get off to slow starts and sometimes depended on their bench to get back into the game.

Westbrook was the key catalyst for many of those comebacks with his energy and aggressiveness. When he was sidelined for about three weeks due to a fractured hand, his presence was missed tremendously.

Where things began to fall apart a little bit was during the playoffs. In the Clippers first round loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Westbrook’s inability to consistently knock down jumpers hurt the Clippers. The Mavericks often left him open and dared him to shoot and he couldn’t make them pay. He shot a playoff career-low 26 percent from the field and was ineffective in other elements of the game.

Future with Clippers

Westbrook heads into the offseason with a player option on the two-year contract he signed in 2023. There’s been no concrete word as to which direction he may be leaning.

He reportedly took less money than he could have gotten elsewhere to re-sign with the Clippers. His player option for next season is worth $4,027,525. It’s also not quite clear what he might command on the open market.

With the Clippers expected to make a strong push to re-sign James Harden, any role Westbrook would have with the team for 2024-25 would be off the bench. It really comes down to how much more he is willing to sacrifice in terms of role and minutes in pursuit of a championship. There is a role for him on this team, but maybe not as big as last season, and that could certainly lead to him going elsewhere.

Clippers 2024 Exit Interview: Russell Westbrook
David Yapkowitz

Our player preview series for the 2024 Clippers season continues with Russell Westbrook, the Clippers’ starting point guard and most controversial player.

Basic Information

Height: 6’3″

Weight: 200 pounds

Position: Point Guard

Age: 34

Years in NBA: 16

Key Stats: 15.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 3.4 turnovers in 30.2 minutes per game across 21 games on 48.9/35.6/65.8 shooting splits in the regular season.

Contract Status: First year of a two-year contract worth nearly $8 million.

Expectations

When it was rumored that the LA Clippers had major interest in Russell Westbrook when he joined the buyout market following the NBA trade deadline, the fanbase was torn. Westbrook struggled in his one and half seasons with the LA Lakers and fans wondered how he would fit on the team.

By the end of the regular season and playoffs, it was safe to say that Clippers fans were pleasantly surprised by Westbrook’s production. He didn’t try and do too much, he fit in with the lineup, and provided the Clippers with a much-needed ball-handler and playmaker.

When the Clippers found themselves once again short-handed in the first round of the playoffs against the Phoenix Suns, it was Westbrook who put the team on his back and kept the series competitive even as they fell to the Suns in five games.

The Clippers probably expect more of the same from Westbrook this season. He didn’t really get much of a chance to play with both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the lineup. He’s become the vocal leader on the court and in the locker room. What they need is someone who will continue to move the ball, get guys shots, and take advantage of his scoring opportunities when they come.

Strengths

Westbrook has always been a gifted playmaker throughout his career. He has amazing court vision, can find the cracks in the defense, and get teammates scoring opportunities. The Clippers didn’t have a true point guard on the roster and when Westbrook arrived, the difference he made in that regard was highly noticeable. He took a lot of pressure off Leonard and George from having to be primary ball-handlers and facilitators.

Westbrook is also one of the top rebounding point guards in the league. There’s a reason why he once averaged a triple-double for an entire season. His rebounding prowess was especially on display in the playoffs against the Suns. He creates second shot opportunities and helps keep possessions alive.

Let’s not forget about his scoring ability as well. While he has been criticized in the past for at times trying to do too much on the offensive end as well as his shot selection, that wasn’t much of an issue with the Clippers. He’s capable of providing a scoring boost if needed. One of the Clippers best wins of the season came in Memphis when both Leonard and George were sidelined and Westbrook put on an offensive clinic to lead the team.

Weaknesses

Shooting efficiency has never been one of Westbrook’s strengths, especially from long-range. He’s a career 30 percent shooter from the three-point line. Oddly enough, Westbrook had one of his most efficient shooting stretches in the 21 games he suited up in for the Clippers. His 48.9 percent shooting from the field and 35.6 percent shooting from three-point range were career-highs. He was taking around 12 shots a game including almost four attempts from three. It’s up to Westbrook to show he can maintain similar shooting percentages for the entirety of an 82 game season.

Turnovers have sometimes been an issue with Westbrook, but again, the 3.4 turnovers per game he averaged with the Clippers was the second lowest mark in his career. The Clippers struggled to protect the ball as a whole, and like his shooting, Westbrook will have to show he can maintain that for the duration of the season.

Summary

The 2023 Clippers didn’t need too much from Westbrook and that may be why he actually posted solid numbers. The 2024 Clippers hopefully won’t need to rely on Russell Westbrook to have huge games every night as he was accustomed to having to do earlier in his career. All they need is someone who will run the offense, get guys shots, find his spots on the offensive end, continue his aggression on the glass and be a pest on the defensive end. It will be interesting and intriguing to see Westbrook with this team for an entire season rather than just a small sample.

Clippers 2023-24 Season Preview: Russell Westbrook
David Yapkowitz

The Clippers’ first true move of the 2023 offseason is to re-sign Russell Westbrook on a two-year, close to $8M deal, with a player option in the second year. This is the Non Bird Rights deal, or a 120% raise on the veteran minimum salary, which should pay him around $3.8M in 2023-2024.

The Clippers signed Russ after he was bought out by the Jazz at the behest of Paul George, and immediately started him and gave him a big role. Russ averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.6 assists with 3.4 turnovers across 21 regular season games, and 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in 5 playoff games with 4 turnovers.

Russell Westbrook is a controversial figure. He quickly won over numerous Clippers’ fans with his energy, effort, and “give a shit” attitude that contrasted with the Clippers’ 2023 season to that point. He also had some excellent playoff games, especially on the defensive end. Ty Lue (hilariously) said that “Russ saved the season”, and he’s not alone in feeling that way.

Skeptics will point to Russ’s lack of shooting being a poor fit next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, as it allows opponents to clog the lane and play 5 on 4 defense. There’s also the fact that Russ shot unsustainably well as a Clipper, with shooting percentages well, well above career marks across all spots on the court outside of 16-23 feet. Russ will also be turning 35 in November, and has played a ton of minutes – for a player who relies heavily on athleticism, a 5% slip could mean a massive overall dip in NBA playability.

People who are less into Russ will also point to Paul George’s desperate desire for him and the Clippers immediately handing the keys to the offense to him as a bad thing, not a good thing. He was a safety blanket for Paul George and the Clippers, and will have a larger role than he should because of his status and Paul George’s influence.

In terms of contract, this is fine. Russ at the very least proved he’s still an NBA caliber player last year on the Clippers, and a $3.8M deal is not much. The player option next year does give Russ the chance to get a bigger deal next summer, like Nic Batum did last year, which I would not be crazy about, but the Clippers would not need to re-sign him if he did.

The question will be what, if anything, this means for the James Harden pursuit. If the Clippers do land Harden, starting Russ alongside him and 213 seems like a disaster waiting to happen. If Russ is comfortable leading the bench, I think it could work out ok, with him stepping into the starting unit whenever one of the new “Big 3” is out. It is possible that signing Russ means the Clippers are out on Harden, but it could also mean that they’re just shoring up guard depth for a trade that will surely strip them of it.

For my own thoughts, I really didn’t want the Clippers to bring back Russ, whether they brought in Harden or not. I want the Clippers to play their younger guys off the bench and give Bones Hyland in particular a long leash at minutes, and Russ is just another old player who is only declining from here. I also just really don’t like his fit next to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, especially in the playoffs. The cost of the deal is fine, and Russ is legitimately a great culture guy. I just hope the Clippers can get him to buy into a more limited role, Harden or no Harden – a Russ-led Clippers’ team seems very unlikely to have much success in 2024.

Welcome back to the Clippers, Russell Westbrook! And the Clippers are still making moves – Lucas will have thoughts on the KJ Martin deal shortly, which I absolutely love.

Clippers Re-Sign Russell Westbrook on Two-Year Deal
Robert Flom

Law Murray of the Athletic, one of the Clippers’ lead beat writers, dropped another Nugget on Twitter amidst all the James Harden hubbub, but about free agent Russell Westbrook.

There’s nothing firm in there, just that Russell Westbrook won’t be a quick free agent signing and is not a lock to return to the Clippers. This makes sense, especially given the Harden news.

While Russell Westbrook and Harden have played together twice, including as recently as 2020, those situations were very different than playing with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. That would be four players who all need the ball in their hands a lot, and as a four-some would be not particularly great defensively, very old, and injury-prone. If the Clippers do land Harden, I think that the chances of Russ going elsewhere increase.

For now, we will just sit and wait and watch the Harden saga unfold. It seems like a decision will be reached sooner than later.

Russell Westbrook Return to Clippers Not Set in Stone
Robert Flom

Our review of the Clippers’ 2023 season continues with a look at buyout market signing of Russell Westbrook.

Basic Information

Height: 6’3

Weight: 200 pounds

Position: Point Guard

Age: 34

Years in NBA: 15

Key Stats: 15.8 points, 7.6 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 3.4 turnovers in 30.2 minutes per game across 21 games played (21 starts) on 48.9/35.6/65.8 (3.6 FTA attempts) shooting splits.

Expectations

Given the way Russell Westbrook’s one and half seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers went, you would be hard-pressed to find a Clippers fan that was 100 percent on board with the signing. Given the trade deadline acquisitions of Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland and Terance Mann’s strong stint as the starting point guard before the All-Star break, many questioned adding yet another guard and how Westbrook would fit with the current roster.

Whether or not the front office was persuaded into signing Westbrook by the coaching staff and the star players, what is clear is that they tried to get a starting point guard at the deadline. An offer was made for Kyrie Irving. They kicked the tires on Mike Conley and Fred VanVleet. When none of those options came to fruition, they turned to the buyout market.

Reality

In reality, the Westbrook signing has to be considered a success. Sure, the Clippers went on a losing streak immediately after signing him, but during that stretch of games Westbrook was the least of the problems. He immediately became the best playmaker on the team and his presence allowed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to thrive in catch and shoot situations.

Many people may not have realized it, but Westbrook’s shooting percentages with the Clippers, 48.9 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from three-point range, were both career-highs. His turnover numbers were in line with his career averages.

Overall, Westbrook fit in with the Clippers and played his role. He didn’t try to do too much. He wasn’t taken off ball and forced into playing as a spot up shooter by coaches who clearly didn’t know how to play to his strengths and players who refused to move off ball and become more consistent outside shooters.

Westbrook’s rebounding and defense were a major boost, especially in the playoffs. Westbrook’s clutch rebounding and defense in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns was the difference in the Clippers’ lone win. And when Leonard was ruled out following Game 2, it was Westbrook who admirably put the team on his back and tried to will them to wins.

He became the locker room leader that the Clippers needed and he was able to play free. For the first time in one and half seasons, he was having fun playing basketball again.

If there was one blemish though, it was his free-throw shooting. Early in his career Westbrook was a solid 80+ percent shooter from the line. It’s slipped in recent years and this season was among his career-lows in free-throw efficiency.

Future with Clippers

It’s tough to say actually what the future holds for Westbrook and the Clippers. It’s possible he may have earned himself one more big pay day. The front office will probably do their due diligence this offseason in seeing what starting point guards might be available and what it would take to make a deal. There are younger players in Mann and Hyland who are going to need playing time not to mention figuring out what the plan is for Jason Preston.

Although Westbrook’s stint went well, it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine him not being back next season. If he is back, it’ll likely be on a small, short-term contract because at this point in his career he may not want to leave home again. There is a spot for Westbrook on this team. But if he is back, what isn’t 100 percent certain is his role being the same depending on how else the roster changes.

2023 Clippers Season Exit Interview: Russell Westbrook
David Yapkowitz

I think it’s really easy, especially if you are a frequent Twitter user like myself, to paint in broad brush strokes. It’s probably not news to anyone that Twitter is great for quick and easy engagement, but not the best for having any type of nuanced conversation where we seek to understand each other or dissect complicated topics. I’m spitballing here, but I think this has a bit to do with the platform itself (tweets are short and there’s lots of them) and a bit with how we use it (we want instant gratification and to avoid accountability). So, back to broad brush strokes. It’s no secret that the hot topic of debate on Clippers Twitter (and anywhere else Clippers fans congregate, like (shameless plug) the 213Hoops Discord channel) for weeks has been Russell Westbrook. As tends to happen with such drawn-out, polarizing discussions, people have more or less sorted into “Pro-Russ” and “Anti-Russ” camps and settled in for a long campaign.

We might all have a better time–and come to a better understanding of the situation–if we asked some different questions.

Right now, the knee-jerk reaction seems to be to identify if a person, post, or piece of data is “Pro-Russ” or “Anti-Russ” and proceed accordingly, depending on your prior belief. I would, generally, belong to the “Anti-Russ” camp–I don’t think the Clippers should have signed him, I don’t think the early returns have made them a better team, and I don’t think they should continue to start him. But I’m not afraid to approach the early data that we have with some balance and nuance and an analytical lens. I’m also not afraid to be wrong: if I didn’t have opinions about the Clippers, nobody would still be reading my Clippers blog 12 years later, and if my opinions were never wrong, I’d have better things to do than blog about the Clippers for the last 12 years. (I’m sure longtime readers can recall some of my funniest misses.)

So, while I remain broadly opposed to the Russell Westbrook signing and his current role on the Clippers, I have no interest in aligning with most of the “Anti-Russ” presence on Twitter. I don’t believe he’s a “vampire” in the locker room, or whatever else the Laker PR machine wants to say about him. But I also have a higher bar for what his success as a Clipper would mean than a lot of “Pro-Russ” Twitter, who are maybe so weary from his Laker tenure and the discourse and trolls surrounding it that they are ready to declare every bright spot, no matter how small, as a victory.

The problem is that the wires are getting crossed between participants in these discussions with competing priorities. I’m going to try to stop approaching Russ discourse from a “is this pro- or anti-Russ” place and instead ask myself “what question is this asking/answering?” The reason why I think this is a useful reframing is because it strikes me that so much of the conversation around Russell Westbrook and his short Clippers tenure seems to be built around implied questions that I actually don’t care about at all.

One of these questions is: “Is Russell Westbrook a toxic individual personality who is going to derail the Clippers’ chemistry and culture and cause major issues if he sees his minutes cut or is asked to do unglamorous work on the floor (like screen, cut, or defend)?” Don’t get me wrong, I totally understand why the “pro-Russ” camp, whether long-time Russ stans, Clippers fans with a positive orientation, or both, want to take every opportunity to answer that question with a resounding NO. The treatment he got via anonymous Laker leaks as they scapegoated him for the team’s issues was absolutely unfair–something that I had said before he was a Clipper, and maintain now while simultaneously wishing they hadn’t signed him. But when it comes to analyzing the Clippers and what’s best for this team, I just don’t find that to be super meaningful. Yeah, it would certainly be bad for LAC if he was that interpersonally toxic, but I never really had concern that he would be, and him not being toxic doesn’t mean that he’s helping the team win basketball games.

Another question I don’t really care about is: “Is it possible for an NBA team to succeed with Russell Westbrook in a significant role?” I’ve seen a lot of posts during the Clippers’ 3-day break about Westbrook’s favorable on-off differential, and my reaction is always an eye roll. He’s played 8 games and played 69% of his minutes with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard while other guys have 60+ game samples where they’ve played hundreds of minutes without the stars, of course Russ has a better on-off differential per 100 possessions than Terance Mann, who has comparatively only played 20% of his minutes alongside both stars. But maybe I’m being too quick to dismiss these claims, too centered on the questions that I care about. Because if you care about recent weeks as an experiment to prove that a team can win with Russ on the floor as a way of disproving a deluge of Laker trolls and hate, I can see why this would be meaningful to you. For some (Russ stans w/ no Clipper attachment), this is the defining question, proof that he can be part of a positive lineup/team. For others (Clippers fans), it might be a secondary question–the primary goal is LAC winning, but the extent of the anti-Russ trolling is so extreme that there’s a secondary investment in getting some vindication over the trolls by proving that winning with him is possible.

But it being possible to win with Russ on the floor isn’t news to me. Even as I harshly critiqued the Russell Westbrook signing, I said that the Clippers would still win plenty of games and maybe a playoff series. I was surprised that they started 0-5 in his first 5 games, and I still expect them to clean up their remaining easy schedule with a strong record.

So, even though I’m not interested in those conversations, I get it. I get that there are constant, incredibly annoying conversations going on out there that I am not a part of where these are meaningful pieces of information to dispel demonstrably false myths about how uniquely terrible Russ (both the person and the basketball player) is. (I might add that anyone saying “Russ is a vampire” or “no team could ever win a game with Russ on the floor” is so obviously arguing in bad faith that I just wouldn’t bother with them.)

Let me tell you, then, what question I actually do care about: “Does Russell Westbrook replacing Terance Mann in the starting lineup make the Clippers a better basketball team?” To me, this is both more interesting (compared to the other 2 which are refuting bad-faith troll arguments) and more relevant to the thing that I generally care about, which is the Clippers being as good as possible. I hope we can agree why him being a nice guy and good teammate doesn’t mean the answer to this question is “yes.” It might take a little more context, like the % of their minutes they play alongside the stars, but I think we should generally be able to understand why Russ having a better on-off differential in 8 games than Terance in 69 games also isn’t really relevant data here. Here’s a chart that probably has more useful information:

Now, if your first reaction here is to note how small the raw +/- are, I think it’s a good observation. Pretty much everything except for Mann w/ no star (which it shouldn’t surprise us is a struggle lineup) would swing pretty strongly if that lineup won or lost its next 8-minute shift by 10 points. This is why we like to work with as big of sample sizes as possible–because everyone is gonna have good shifts and bad shifts, and the smaller our sample is, the more likely that any analysis we base on that sample is going to be pointless in a few days. It’s also possible that your first reaction is “holy shit, the Russ one-star and no-star minutes are insane.” A little bit of sample size caution is warranted here as well, but there’s lots of theoretical on-court skillset/fit reasons to support the idea that Russ would be a much bigger asset in a 16-20 minute role aiding the 2nd unit as Kawhi and Paul stagger their rest than he is as a starter featuring alongside them.

Of course, there’s a difference between analysis that describes what has occured and predicts what is going to occur next. It’s a lot easier to describe what has happened with accuracy. It’s a lot more useful to predict what is going to happen in the future with accuracy. I would offer that the Mann samples here are probably relatively stable, but the Westbrook ones will probably all trend towards less extreme over time. I’d bet money that Russ w/ both stars will end up being positive by the time the regular season ends. Will they be as positive over a large sample size as with Mann, or Reggie Jackson, or what could have been with Eric Gordon were he playing significantly more point guard minutes on a non-Russell Westbrook Clippers roster? It’s far to early to say with any certainty, but it won’t be a secret to anyone who has paid attention to me in the last month that I am skeptical. And there are plenty of questions that are appropriate to measure going forward (how much of the early Russ starter struggles can be attributed to playing with Plumlee at center instead of Zu? How do we weight recent wins against weak opponents vs early losses against playoff opponents?) that we simply don’t have enough data to do more than speculate about now. There’s also lots of additional factors on the team that warrant addressing, most prominently how absymal the second unit (which Russ is not a part of) has been since the Russ signing.

I’ll add a quick (ok, I’ll be honest, it’s not quick, but you also knew I was lying) note here regarding the argument I have seen from a few people about the “trend” with Russ + 213 in the last 3 games. The case for dismissing Westbrook’s first 4 games with PG and Kawhi (Kawhi didn’t play in his 5th game as a Clipper, where Russ was spectacular) and focusing on the most recent 3 is ostensibly that the team needed time to adjust to his presence in the lineup. I think the real motivation here is probably more out of a desire to find some good numbers, whether driven by “pro-Russ” or just good old-fashioned optimistic desire. There is nothing magical about the first 4 games with a new player that says they’re freebies and by game 5 the team is fully-formed. That cutoff point is arbitrary and insignificant, and also brushes aside the fact that the Clippers lost 4 (they weren’t winning @ SAC w/ Kawhi resting) important games that they might not have lost had they kept the existing, working lineup intact.

I don’t see a compelling reason to think that Westbrook/George/Leonard winning their minutes vs sub-.500 Eastern Conference opponent Toronto by 6 in their 6th game together is more meaningful than them losing their minutes vs potential Western Conference playoff opponent Golden State by 11 in their 4th game together (they won their minutes vs a severely depleted Memphis Grizzlies team by 1 in game 5 together). Just as importantly, the more you slice up a sample to eliminate the bad spots, the more you are left with something small and covered with asterisks. LAC was +18 in 64 minutes of Russ/PG/Kawhi in their last 3 wins, 3 games which they were favored to win. In LAC’s last 2 games with Mann starting, they were +20 in Mann/PG/Kawhi in 44 minutes. Going +18 in 64 minutes in 3 should-win games certainly isn’t bad, but we can put a hold on the parade plans. It’s proof that Westbrook doesn’t make winning games impossible, but it’s certainly not proof of added value to justify his starting position relative to other options. You would expect ANYONE to have a positive 3-man +/- with George and Leonard–in fact, in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons, not a single George/Leonard teammate lost their minutes while sharing the floor with both stars. Being positive is a foregone conclusion–being more positive than the alternatives over a prolonged period of time is the bar he needs to clear to justify deserving to start for this team.

My overall conclusion? If we’re focused on describing what has happened so far, I think it’s pretty conclusive that the the Russ+starters formula has fallen short of the Mann+starters formula overall through 8 games. I also think it’s pretty easy to argue that they would be better than 3-5 in those games had they stuck with what was working going into the All-Star Break. Now, measuring the last 8 games isn’t the same thing as predicting the future (by the way, LAC is about to play a bunch of under .500 teams at home, so they better do well enough to pull those overall Russ numbers up into the positive range). If the Clippers go on to win the title behind a firing-on-all-cylinders Russ/Paul/Kawhi big three, I will have absolutely no care in the world about the first few games that they lost figuring it out. If you believed all along that Russell Westbrook was the Clippers’ missing piece, I get why you’d still feel optimistic right now (especially after a harsh reality check at first). But for those of us, like myself, who were extremely skeptical of the move helping the Clippers win extra basketball games, we are still very, very far away from having that concern alleviated.

An Early Evaluation of Russell Westbrook on the Clippers
Lucas Hann

The Clippers are adding former MVP Russell Westbrook to their team, so the 213 Hoops crew is here to give thoughts and grades on the signing.

Randi Geffner: B

I am likely in the minority here, but I’ll take a cautious glass half full approach just for fun.  From a team chemistry perspective, recognizing that none of us actually has any idea what happens behind the scenes, although it seems that Westbrook can be divisive/selfish, he is very close with Paul George who seems to be a great guy (who definitely wants to win a championship so he wouldn’t likely just try to stack his team with his friends for fun) so let’s give Russ the benefit of the doubt here on that factor.

Let’s not forget that Westbrook was the NBA Most Valuable Player not that many years ago, it’s not like basketball skills of that caliber totally evaporate into the atmosphere.  Yes, he was a train wreck with the Lakers but that means nothing.  That mess was doomed from the jump and was as much on LeBron and the front office as it was on Westbrook.  

Ultimately, although I fear for the impact on morale of players like Mann and Powell who are thriving of late and may be relegated to lesser roles, in Jerry West and Larwence Frank we trust.  Look at the stagnant or fading careers that have been magnificently reworked on the Clippers just in the past few seasons.  Zu?  Batum?  Reggie?  Powell?  This could be a great thing (OK maybe not “great” but good or at least not bad).  There seems to be some word on the street, if Twitter is to be believed, that the conversations included his acceptance of where he would fit in, which let’s hope means NOT in the starting lineup in Mann’s spot. Either way, it is happening so I’m getting on board.

Lucas Hann: F

The regular season is an opportunity for teams to develop identity and cohesion.  The Clippers have largely squandered that opportunity, in part due to Kawhi Leonard’s recovery timeline (not the back-to-backs so much as the first month of the season), in part due to committing to the failed John Wall experiment for far too long, and in part due to general malaise where the coaching staff’s decisions and players’ intensity both suggested that the games didn’t matter.  They made good deadline deals to balance the roster, and had a formula where I believed maybe–maybe–they could get enough time together in the last 20 games to be a playoff-ready team. 

Unfortunately, they don’t have time to waste watching the John Wall experiment fail again.  Westbrook has historically offered very little if the basketball isn’t in his hands, and he’s never been hyper-efficient with it (his career value is as a floor-raiser, not a ceiling-raiser).  The Clippers are currently getting more points out of the possessions they will be giving to Russell Westbrook than he will create for them, and his lack of shooting and inconsistent defensive focus will hurt them on non-Westbrook possessions.  You’re either counting on him to be more efficient than he’s been in years, or reinvent himself on the fly to be an off-ball weapon (screening, cutting, shooting–all things he has never done well at the NBA level) at the age of 34.  I don’t feel good about either proposition, I am skeptical of the internal politics of cutting Russ out of the rotation when things go awry, and I worry that even if they are able to make that difficult decision, they will have wasted valuable reps. 

I understand that this is a minimum deal and is, in that sense, much more “low-risk” than the Lakers’ acquisition of Westbrook 2 years ago.  But the risk for the Clippers isn’t in the money, it’s in the minutes.  The reporting is that Westbrook will start, making Terance Mann the guy who will likely lose the most playing time.  Terance is a better basketball player than Russell in 2023.  That means the Clippers got worse for this signing–and this isn’t a niche blogger take; even the sportsbooks think the Clippers are less likely to win the title after signing Russ than they were without him.

Ralston Dacanay: C-

I would absolutely love for this to play out like a movie and Russell Westbrook proves everybody wrong with a highlight-filled revenge tour on a deep Clipper playoff run. But it really feels like those within the Clippers organization who campaigned for Westbrook are misdiagnosing what the team needs, which especially stings considering Lawrence Frank just outlined his vision for the team—a formula that’s already shown major flashes in just the first two games with the new guys. Yes, the Clippers didn’t have to give up anything to get Westbrook. Yes, Westbrook is a hometown talent that should fit better with the size and shooting that LAC can surround him with. However, this does feel like a subtraction-by-addition move for the Clips since his arrival will take away minutes from guys who’ve already proven they can contribute. Considering how strong LAC’s top-nine already was, let alone Bones Hyland and Robert Covington who could easily be rotation players as well, it seems the Clippers are taking a gigantic, unnecessary risk despite already having little room for error moving forward.

I’d love to give Tyronn Lue the benefit of the doubt to pull the right levers for the rotation as things play out, but he hasn’t earned that from me so far this season. I will say that from an entertainment standpoint, the Clippers will be a must-watch the rest of the way for a lot more fans around the league. I mean the storylines surrounding this team are just amazing for content. But as someone who religiously follows the team, I can’t help but feel like LAC was already stocked up with everything they needed at the deadline and may be repeating past mistakes—despite the counsel of their president of basketball operations and perhaps at the cost of a breakout rest-of-season run from Terance Mann.

Kenneth Armstrong: B

As a pure transaction, there is no real downside to this move. The Clippers have room to add a player, they did not have to give anyone up for Russell Westbrook, and it will not cost very much money (not that money is a concern for Ballmer). Moreover, there seems to have been a critical mass of players and staff who were in favor of adding him. Why not an A? Because the Clippers probably could have done better in the buyout market—or simply kept a roster spot open to stay flexible. Whether he will be a positive player or not is entirely up to Ty Lue: Westbrook should not close games, Mann’s minutes must stay intact, and Lue needs to be willing to give Westbrook DNP-CDs night after night, if the fit is not there. Nonetheless, adding a former MVP for nothing should not be seen as an inherently bad thing. The Clippers added a less talented—and more in decline—player in John Wall and moved on from him pretty quickly without losing anything. So long as Ty Lue learns on the fly more quickly this time, this should be fine.

Erik Olsgaard: C-

After taking some time to mull it over and consider all arguments, I still just don’t see how this will work. Russell Westbrook remains a downhill player with a skillset that allows him to get to the rim frequently and theoretically gives the Clippers their paint-and-spray point guard. But at this point in his career, he’s got a crazy low rim FG% and a crazy high turnover rate, so I’m not really expecting anything productive. And that’s without considering the weaknesses he’s always had (shooting/defense). That being said, he’s a great rebounder, a consistent pace pusher, by all (reputable) accounts a non-disruptive locker room presence, and the stars seem to want to play with him. There are still important questions: Will he focus primarily on getting better scorers the ball? Will he lock in on defense? Will he keep the pace up to avoid getting gameplanned offensively? Will he cut three pointers out of his diet entirely? For those of us who worry we already know (and hate) the answers to these, we’d love nothing more than to be proven wrong.

Shapan Debnath: D

I am not very happy, as every advanced metric makes Russell Westbrook’s poor efficiency line up with the eye test. Whether you look at his TS% (49.5%), Assist to Turnover ratio for a “true point guard”(7.5:3.5), PPP as the Ball Handler in PnR (0.75), sub 30% 3 point shooting, and really I could just keep going, there’s so many reasons to be against this trade. On top of that, LAC was FINALLY rolling on offense this past month with their health behind them, and now this happens. It’s an all-around bummer. My hope is that, much like John Wall, the role is minimized at that same 10-15 minutes with Kawhi on the bench, and his ability to drive is complemented by LAC’s better roster around him. There is a path here to some success, the issue is whether Westbrook, Ty, and the stars will embrace it or continue chasing the ghost of another past prime point guard. I don’t have much faith in that, but there is where I am. We need some primetime Ty now.

Cole Huff: C

Count me in as one of the skeptical Clippers fans for the Russell Westbrook experience. The Clippers tried Rajon Rondo, Eric Bledsoe, and John Wall in recent years as their “playmaking” point guards that would unlock the team. However, all were out of their prime, couldn’t shoot, weren’t great defenders, and ultimately were either benched or traded. So, we shouldn’t expect Russell Westbrook, who is also out of his prime and has a comparable skillset to the aforementioned three, to be what those guys couldn’t be. I’m not falling into that trap again. However, Russ is more playable than those guys at this point and maybe if he plays a smaller role it could offer some benefits. But I’ll be disappointed if this acquisition leads to less Terance Mann, who I’d always thought had potential in the Clippers’ starting lineup as a “tall Pat Bev” (was I right?).

Nonetheless, I’d love to be wrong about this. By all accounts, Russ is a great dude and a great teammate and it would be cool to see him bounce back after how things went across the hall. I’ll be rooting for him hard. But I’ll need to see it on the court before I can get excited.

Robert Flom: D+

It feels weird not being the lowest person on a Clippers’ move. Adding Westbrook, in a vacuum, is not awful. But knowing what we know about Russ, Ty Lue, and the length of time left in the season, I think the odds are much higher than not that he takes minutes away from better players – and detracts from the team chemistry that has been built recently. Moreover, I just don’t think the Clippers need him at all – he can playmake, but he needs the ball in his hands, and that would take the ball away from Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and even Norm Powell. His rebounding is helpful, but the Clippers’ rebounding has actually not been bad this year, and should improve with the addition of Mason Plumlee. Similarly, the Clipper did need more rim pressure, but Eric Gordon and Bones Hyland could help there.

Really, I think his best attribute could be his intensity and energy, but if he takes minutes from Terance Mann and say Nic Batum, the intensity won’t make up the difference. I’m also very skeptical that the Clippers will bench Russell Westbrook completely before it’s too late. There doesn’t seem to be much upside, and the downside of Russ playing a ton and sabotaging the Clippers’ offense through cramped spacing and poor decision-making is awful to think about.

Niels Pineda: D

Even trying to be as optimistic as I possibly can, which is something I hope Clippers fans can bring given the treatment of Russell Westbrook by Laker fans, I just can’t seem to understand this move outside of players pressuring the FO.  The team has been clicking and looking better than they have all season, even considering the new additions still integrating themselves onto the team, and with only 21 games left… the team decides to add a player who is just about the exact opposite of a plug and play type of guy. In a season full of inconsistency where Ty Lue has insisted the main issue is not having enough reps with his guys, we just created even more complications that will have us tinkering up until the final regular season game.  On top of this, I can’t imagine this move having anything but a negative impact on the locker room.  I don’t exactly think having your star player openly campaign to get another guard in spite of some really great play from the ones on the roster will lead to much joy and happiness.  I get that the Clippers want better passing, more intensity, and a faster pace, but maybe the guys begging for that should actually try to bring that themselves? 

213 Hoops Roundtable: Clippers Adding Russell Westbrook
Robert Flom

Well, all of the pressure that players and coaching staff put on the Clippers front office seems to have worked, as today Adrian Wojnarowski dropped the news that the Clippers will sign Russell Westbrook after he completes his buyout from the Utah Jazz.

I don’t think I need to go into all of Russell Westbrook’s history, but suffice to say he is one of the most divisive players in modern NBA history. This season, he has averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.5 assists in 28.7 minutes per game (almost entirely off the bench) – a lot of production. That is counterweighed by 3.5 turnovers, an abysmal 49.6 True Shooting%, and inconsistent at best defense.

In the ESPN piece, it mentioned that Ty Lue and Lawrence Frank talked to Russ about his willingness to fill a clear role “built around his playmaking, rebounding, and toughness”. To be clear, the Clippers could use all of those things. In an ideal world, Russell Westbrook could provide those attributes in a limited role, particularly when only one of PG or Kawhi Leonard is on the floor, and would not play major minutes or close games for the Clippers.

The issue is that the combination of Russ’s personality, Ty Lue’s coaching style, and Russ’ legendary status (plus his rightful reputation among peers) means that I think it’s highly likely he will be overplayed. If Russ is starting games (even over Marcus Morris) or closing them, or playing more than 20 minutes per game consistently, I think he will cause more harm than good.

The reasons why are simple, and they’re why the Lakers were so desperate to move on from him – he can’t shoot, making him an awful fit next to on-ball superstars like Kawhi and Paul George, but also requires the ball in his hands. The argument that he will fit better on the Clippers because of their shooting might be correct, but that’s under the assumption that the Clippers will tailor their play when Russ is on the court to fit “Russ-ball”. Considering his awful efficiency and high turnovers, as well as the effectiveness of Norm Powell (and even Eric Gordon), adjusting to fit Russ rather than the other way around seems like a bad idea.

The one player who I think I’d be fine with Russ taking minutes from is Marcus Morris. If the Clippers bump Morris from the rotation, slide in Eric Gordon to start, and then play Russ off the bench alongside Norm, Nic Batum, and Mason Plumlee, things might not be a total disaster. But if instead, Russ is drawing minutes primarily from Norm, Gordon, and Terance Mann – all better players and better fits due to shooting – things will go south in a hurry.

I admire the intensity that Russell Westbrook plays at. He’s a genuinely great guy off the court. He is an absolute, no-doubt, first-ballot Hall of Famer. There are things he provides on the court that the Clippers could use. However, skepticisms about his fit with PG and Kawhi due to his lack of shooting and on-ball nature of play, his mostly poor defense, and the likelihood that Ty Lue will overplay him makes me think this is a negative move that could torpedo whatever chances the Clippers had.

The Clippers Will Sign Russell Westbrook
Robert Flom

This was an utter humiliation from the Clippers in Houston tonight, and one of the best wins for the Clips all season.

1st Half

Best half of the season without a doubt. The Clippers had an excellent defensive gameplan to start — keying on James Harden’s left hand, letting Russell Westbrook shoot, collapsing in the paint on drives, getting into the mouths of players with the ball on the perimeter, and closing out hard on shots without fouling. On the other end, everyone was cooking. Kawhi was eating in the mid-range, Marcus Morris, despite a cold start, was hitting from deep, Lou was doing Lou things, Paul George wasn’t forcing shots and found the open man a bunch. and Reggie Jackson ran the 2nd unit perfectly. Most importantly though, Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell were taking advantage of the size advantage, going a combined 7-7 from the field (and a combined 10-10 from the free-throw line!) in the first 24 minutes. I honestly don’t think the Clippers could have played a better half. *Chef’s kiss*

2nd half 

This game was pretty much over at halftime. The third quarter was more of the same for the Rockets…bricks and unwatchable basketball. While both defenses tightened up in the second half, the Clippers made the right plays, forced it inside with Trezz and Zu and took advantage of mismatches. This showed the antithesis of the small-ball play the Rockets have instituted. You bully inside with your big men, and if they can make a simple pass to the perimeter, you’ll have open players because the Rockets have to gang help on the bigs. The Clippers did this to a T. They were up by 25 heading into the fourth, led by as much as 30 at one point, and 3rd unit players were in halfway through the 4th. I guess if they had one positive…their 3rd unit played better than ours? Overall, this was the most dominant game the Clippers have played against a playoff team all season and easily their best defensive game. This was a fun ass watch.

Notes

Is this the blueprint to beating the new-look Rockets?: Teams should pay attention to what the Clips did tonight. You don’t match their small-ball tactics. You almost play a bit of old-school ball and try to bully down low, all while playing four out and having open shooters due to the Rockets defense collapsing on the big. Doc Rivers outcoached the absolute hell out of Mike D’Antoni tonight and it was amazing to watch.

ZUUUUUUUUU: Ivica Zubac was incredible tonight. He was taking what the defense gave him, which was a ton, and played his role perfectly. He finished with 17 points on 6-of-6 shooting with 12 boards and no turnovers in only 20 minutes. MVP of the game in my opinion.

Pat Bev impact: Beverley shot the ball twice this game but was +28 with 2 steals. All he do is run around though.

Defense against Russ and Harden: Combined stats: 15-44 from the field including 0-10 from three, 6 turnovers, 7 missed free-throws, only 9 combined assists. Beautiful.

This team is dumb scary right now: 10-0 when fully healthy, six game win streak, playing their best ball of the season. This is the best team in basketball right now.

Clippers Eviscerate Rockets, 120 – 105
Chris Murch