Former UCLA guard Russell Westbrook has had an action-packed basketball career. He’s an NBA MVP, an Olympic gold medal winner and a nine-time All Star. Even at 36 years old, Westbrook is still adding another chapter to his legacy.
Westbrook finds himself on the Denver Nuggets’ bench. He is playing a pivotal role in the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that will retire Westbrook’s number once he retires from the league and heads to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
While the high-flying guard has reached heights few players in league history have matched, Westbrook has endured a bumpy second half to his career. Following his legendary tenure with the Thunder, he was traded to Houston to play with the ball-dominant James Harden. After one year with the Rockets, Westbrook had another single-season stint with the Washington Wizards.
Westbrook was great for the Wizards, finishing 11th in MVP voting. Then the Wizards then shipped him to the Los Angeles Lakers to play with Lebron James. The James-Westbrook dynamic never materialized. Because of the poor results, Westbrook received more criticism than ever before.
After 130 games with the Lakers, Westbrook was shipped to the Utah Jazz and was immediately bought out of his contract. The Long Beach native opted to stay in LA and joined the Clippers, where he was once again reunited with Harden. Westbrook was better in a smaller role with the Clippers than he was with the Lakers, but by the end of last year, it was clear the Clippers were ready to move on from Westbrook.
Last July Westbrook signed a two-year deal with the Nuggets to join fellow triple-double connoisseur Nikola Jokic on a contract that includes a player option for the 2025-2026 season.
This hasn’t been the smoothest season for Westbrook or for the Nuggets, given that head coach Michael Malone got fired just before the start of the playoffs. Yet, once in the playoffs, Westbrook has reminded everyone why he is a valuable pro. Westbrook is no longer a player that’s going to get 20 points a night, but with averages of 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 26.2 minutes per game, Westbrook has been an important piece for Denver.
Westbrook helped the Nuggets steal Game 1 over the Thunder on Monday, finding Aaron Gordon on a fast break for a game-winning 3-pointer. Westbrook could have tried to force the issue and shoot a contested layup, and maybe in years past, he would have, but he was able to make the right play. It resulted in a Denver win.
He has caught plenty of heat in recent years, but Westbrook is proving that he’s much more than just a scapegoat in today’s NBA.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Former Bruin Russell Westbrook is finding his groove for the Denver Nuggets
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
