Surprisingly to some, Russell Westbrook’s fit with the Nuggets has been nothing short of excellent so far. It was a bit of a marriage by convenience (and necessity) in the offseason; the Nuggets were short on talent and assets and Westbrook was short on interested suitors. The two sides needed each other and so the deal came together.
The Nuggets were thrilled to pick up a talented veteran player for a minimum contract and Westbrook was thrilled that a contending team genuinely wanted him and was able to offer him a meaningful role.
But while the deal has worked out resoundingly well for both sides, it hasn’t quite worked in the way the Nuggets envisioned. The Nuggets were hoping that Russ could come in and run the second unit, giving life to a bench that needed a spark. The idea was that he could carry the offense for the few minutes a night when Nikola Jokic was off the floor.
Westbrook has been great with Jokic, but not so much without him
In reality, things have clicked in a very different way. That’s what Denver was going for to start the season, but it was not going very well and Russ was experiencing similar issues that have derailed him in previous stops.
As the year went on and the Nuggets cycled more lineups and rotations, they stumbled into the realization that Westbrook is incredible when playing alongside the Joker. But when Jokic wasn’t on the court, Russ was struggling badly and was unable to impact the games positively.
To provide some statistical reference, when Russ plays with Jokic on the floor, he has a 60.5 True Shooting % and an offensive rating of 126.8. But when he plays without the Joker, those numbers fall to 47.5% and 101.6 respectively. Obviously, almost any player will be better with Jokic, but those splits are preposterous.
Maximizing Westbrook’s playoff minutes a major challenge for Michael Malone
Overall, it’s great that Westbrook has been able to fit so well and has quickly become such a big part of the team and their success, but it does create some challenges, especially come playoff time. For one thing, Russ is borderline unplayable when Jokic is not on the floor. That’s not exactly ideal for someone who was supposed to lead the bench.
That means that Michael Malone is still right back where he started in terms of addressing the non-Jokic minutes. But it has also created an awkward overlap between Westbrook and Jamal Murray. Murray has been Joker’s typical partner in the two-man game and they’ve created one of the deadliest connections in the league in recent years.
But to be optimized, Westbrook basically needs to play the Murray role on offense. If Russ isn’t involved in the action, he’s relegated to a spot-up role, which is a complete waste of his skills. Teams are going to leave him alone to double and dare the Nuggets to pass it to Westbrook and let him launch threes.
The other option would be to let Russ handle the ball in those situations, but that moves Murray off the ball. Jamal is certainly better suited for that role, but then you’re turning one of your most dynamic offensive players into a guy who’s standing in the corner. In the playoffs, Denver should run as much offense as possible through Murray and Jokic. That doesn’t leave much room for Russ.
It’s a fascinating dilemma and one that may ultimately end with Westbrook being relegated to a much smaller role in the playoffs, but it’s not a bad problem to have overall. Anything positive from Russ is still a bonus and if Malone can find a way to make this work in the playoffs, that would be a huge boon for the Nuggets’ chances.