I think everyone is happy that Russell Westbrook found a role in the NBA this year. During the summer, it looked like Brodie might be without a home in 2025-26. But the Sacramento Kings came through and gave him a job for (at least) one more season.
Westbrook's volume is not nearly what it was a decade ago, but he's still putting up some solid numbers in Sacramento (14 / 6 / 6). Unfortunately, just like he did with the Denver Nuggets, Russ has made some head-scratching decisions, especially late in games — most recently a stepback 3-point attempt in the waning seconds against the Mavericks that was not close.
Trust me — Russ is not the main problem on this Kings team. That would be ownership, management, roster construction, poor draft decisions, questionable lineup decisions, decades of futility, etc. But (in large part due to the aforementioned roster construction) Russ has the ball in his hands often late in games, and Nuggets fans know from experience that's always a roller coaster ride.
Westbrook's effort never wavers, but his shot selection still does
Russell Westbrook has given 100 percent effort in 100 percent of his minutes in 100 percent of his games in the NBA. Over a career that's spanned nearly two decades, Russ' commitment has never wavered.
He's also missed a lot of shots. Scoring efficiency was never the name of Westbrook's game, and that wasn't really a problem when he was in his prime because his volume was so outrageously high that even mentioning true shooting felt like a reduction of the impact he had on the game.
But in 2026, Westbrook plays on one of the worst teams in the league. The Kings are playing from behind pretty much every night and can't afford too many misses before a game completely gets away from them.
In hindsight, it's crazy that the Kings brought in 37 year-old Russ with the plan of him running the Kings' offense and playing 30 minutes per game. But hey, I won't question how an NBA team runs its business (I will, and I do).
For the most part, Nuggets fans don't hold much ill will toward Westbrook. He had some nice moments in Denver last year even though things sort of deteriorated as the season progressed. The Kings are trying basically the same thing the Nuggets did — adding Westbrook with hopes he can bring energy in a lesser role. It's going pretty much the same in Sacramento as it did in Denver... For better and worse.