This is the last conversation I imagined us having on New Year’s Eve, but here we are. There’s no other way to say it; Russell Westbrook has been a revelation in Denver. Everyone knew about all the red flags going into this marriage of necessity, but the pros have vastly outweighed the cons thus far.
There were all kinds of warning signs around Russ in the offseason. He had basically overstayed his welcome at his last few spots, struggling to fit in. No matter how much teams tried to stick him in a smaller role, the old Russ would inevitably come out and take over the game - for better or worse.
All too often, it ended up being for worse and that’s how Westbrook found himself on the free agent market with no suitors. Except of course, for the Nuggets. After losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson, the Nuggets were in desperate need of guards and specifically anyone to come off the bench who can dribble a basketball.
Denver was able to scoop Westbrook for a veteran minimum contract (with a player option for next season) and figured he could provide a nice spark off the bench. But he has been able to do much more, earning starter-level minutes and entrenching himself in Michael Malone’s closing lineups.
Time for Nuggets to consider adding Westbrook to starting lineup
But Russ has been so solid for the Nuggets, that many are wondering if his role on the team is still too small. Due to various injuries, Westbrook has seen his role expand and has been entered into the starting lineup on numerous occasions.
He replaced Jamal Murray in the starting lineup for several games when Murray was out, and now he’s starting alongside Murray while Aaron Gordon is out. A lot goes into it, but the stats are pretty simple. When Westbrook starts, the Nuggets are 8-2 this season. When he comes off the bench, the team is 10-11.
But it’s not just the starting lineup, it’s directly tied to how much Russ plays as well. When Westbrook plays 30+ minutes, the Nuggets are 9-2 and they’re just 9-11 when he does not hit the 30-minutes played mark.
It’s a fascinating turn of events from how Westbrook was viewed around the league going into this season, but the numbers don’t lie. The Nuggets are flat-out better when Russ plays a lot. Simply put, they need him.
Westbrook has provided so much energy, toughness, edge, intensity, and all those other intangibles that the team was missing; he gives them an edge that they were lacking. He leads by example, giving 110% every time he’s on the court, something some of his teammates should take a cue from.
Beyond all the intangibles, Russ is still a damn good basketball player and athlete. He can get up and down the floor with the best of them and has acted as a great secondary creator along with Nikola Jokic.
He’s able to lead the offense or take a back seat and he has done an excellent job of fitting in with this Denver team. Part of that is the team is devoid of talent. They needed to plug a lot of holes this offseason and figured it would be done by young guys stepping up, but it’s been mostly the future Hall of Famer, Russ.
He’s still far from a perfect player, but the Nuggets are well-suited to cover up his shortcomings. They also don’t have much of a choice. Right now, Westbrook is clearly one of the Nuggets' best players and they need him on the court for heavy minutes every single night, regardless of who’s available.