While they may seem like vastly different players, Bruce Brown and Russell Westbrook actually occupy similar space on the basketball court at this point in their careers. So, when the Nuggets rushed to bring Brown back to Denver at the start of free agency, that was as good a sign as could be that they didn’t intend on bringing Westbrook back.
It looks a lot different, but the output ends up being fairly similar. Russ is a domineering point guard and does what he does a lot more loudly, but when you peel back the curtain, there are endless similarities.
Both Brown and Russ can set up the offense, starting an action and running a play. Russ is more likely to go barreling to the rim to finish or draw free throws, whereas Brucey B is more prone to put up a floater or drop it off.
Neither one is necessarily going to space the floor, and therein lies the heart of the problem. The two simply cannot play together without canceling each other out. They are both the guy who screens, who thrives as a short roller, who can play out of the dunker spot, and the guy who is wasted standing in the corner.
No room for Brown AND Westbrook in Denver
They can’t occupy their ideal spaces at the same time, and thus, there’s too much overlap in skillset to have both players on the roster this season.
Brown isn’t a true point guard in the sense that Westbrook is, but what the Nuggets need with their roster leans more into what he provides: less ball dominance and more ball movement. Brown knows to stay out of the way and has no doubt about exactly what his role is.
For better or worse, Russ is going to inject himself into every situation and become a main character. It’s who he is. It’s a big part of what has made him great. But at this point, it’s not what the Nuggets need, and it's also a big part of the reason he remains unsigned.
They clearly were locked in on Bruce and they went out and got him as soon as they could. Westbrook was a good solider in Denver last year and should be remembered fondly by fans. He gave his all and there’s no doubt he left his heart on the floor every night. The Nuggets likely don’t make it as far as they did without him, and he had a huge impact on the team.
But it was time for both teams to part ways, and the Bruce Brown signing should have been a major signal.