Russell Westbrook

At Westbrook's introductory news conference, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the team wants “Russ to be Russ.”

But the addition of Westbrook is a subplot to the main storyline of getting George and Leonard to be at their best more consistently. Westbrook is a bad free-throw shooter, but he also draws fouls at a high rate, which benefits an entire offense; it doesn’t matter who gets fouled once you’re in the bonus. But a primary reason for George and Leonard wanting another high-usage ballhandler was so that the ball is not in their hands so often throughout the course of a game. Powell also said of incumbent starter [Terance Mann](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/terance-mann-5ckD9JvYcPCUx6NM/) that “bringing T. George and Leonard’s fourth-quarter field goal percentages were much lower than their first three quarters, so while the team was successful, it was coming at an increased strain on the stars. How Westbrook fits in closing lineups is questionable at best. [Norman Powell](https://theathletic.com/nba/player/norman-powell-hiYUGADQy1AEo1fw/) discussed Friday morning at shootaround how Westbrook would be able to facilitate “especially in that first unit” while creating catch-and-shoot opportunities for George and Leonard in particular. Last week I reported the Clippers weren’t just approved to meet with Westbrook, but that a specific role was in mind: being a starting point guard for a team that featured George and Leonard. Lue has also been blunt about his desire to keep a true point guard in the rotation, even after benching incumbent starter That coincided with George and Leonard stacking games together. “Me and Kawhi are from L.A., but it’s always been a mutual respect, love. “One, just being from L.A., and then second, Paul is just a great person overall,” he said.

Russell Westbrook was the center of attention at the start of his Los Angeles Clippers debut, but all eyes were on the scoreboard by the end.

Kawhi Leonard scored the most points he ever has in a Clippers uniform, but it wasn't enough.

[Domantas Sabonis](/nba/players/2152455/domantas-sabonis/) fouled out of the game, the Kings turned to Fox, and he delivered, just as he has all season. He scored 45 points against the [Jazz](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/UTA/utah-jazz/) as a member of the [Raptors](https://www.cbssports.com/nba/teams/TOR/toronto-raptors/) in 2019. The 45 points that he scored against the Clippers on Friday night are the most scored by a player off of the bench this season. Leonard has been rounding into form in recent weeks, and this was easily his best game of the current campaign. [Kawhi Leonard](/nba/players/1715792/kawhi-leonard/) didn't set a career high on Friday night, but he did score more points than he ever has before in a Clippers uniform. [Russell Westbrook](/nba/players/1622555/russell-westbrook/) made his debut with his new team on Friday night, and instead of easing the veteran guard into action in order to let him acclimate to his new reality, the Clippers employed the opposite approach and threw him directly into the fire. Monk dropped 16 in the fourth, six in the first overtime and eight in the second OT. He was also pretty efficient from the field, as he connected on seven of his 13 attempts. That was the final score of what ended up being the second-highest scoring game in [NBA](/nba/) history. The Clippers held a lead throughout much of regulation, and for a while it looked like they had it in the bag. [De'Aaron Fox](/nba/players/2355019/deaaron-fox/), in order to force overtime. The contests was a battle between the would-be third and fourth seeds in the Western Conference, with Sacramento leading L.A.

Russell Westbrook has been a Los Angeles Clipper for less than a week, and if we count the Utah Jazz, this is his sixth team in five seasons.

And despite the game not finishing the way they wanted to (in part because of a minutes restriction that kept George out of the second overtime), Friday's loss demonstrated how to avoid them, or at least most of them. This looks like the right situation for him to finally reinvent himself. After a decade-and-a-half in the NBA, his shot selection and ball control aren't likely to change dramatically overnight. [two layups](https://www.nba.com/stats/events/?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=34800&GameID=0022200902&PlayerID=201566&RangeType=0&Season=2022-23&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612746&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=game) in the second half, including one that would've put the Clippers up 14 with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Leonard and George get plenty of shots up too, but neither is anywhere near the distributor LeBron James is. It gave up 153 points in regulation, and Westbrook was minus-3 before the overtime periods. The chemistry between Russ and Paul George that dates back to their time in Oklahoma City was evident too. For spot-ups, he was at [2.9](https://www.nba.com/stats/players/spot-up?CF=PLAYER_NAME*E*leonard) possessions per game and averaging 1.11 points. On one transition possession, George waved off Westbrook, and there didn't appear to be any angst from the latter over it. Westbrook's ability to push the pace was on display, which should help a team that ranked Instead of attempting to power through the two Kings who were back on defense, Westbrook dropped it off to Kawhi Leonard. And those takes cover the gamut.

Russell Westbrook's debut with the Los Angeles Clippers was spoiled in a thrilling 176-175 double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

This was the quintessential game for Sacramento in 2022-23 with a lot of points and no defense. While the historic performances by both teams will grab the headlines, Westbrook quietly had a terrific debut for Los Angeles. Kawhi Leonard, De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk all scored over 40 points on Friday, while both teams combined to make 44 three-pointers. The former NBA MVP finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting and 14 assists, tied for the most by a Clippers player in their debut with the team. The 351 combined points were the second-most in a game in NBA history, with the highest mark set when the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime on Dec. Russell Westbrook's debut with the Los Angeles Clippers was spoiled in a thrilling 176-175 double-overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday night.

Russell Westbrook tried to make the most of his debut Friday, but he and the Clippers had too many turnovers to beat Sacramento in high-scoring affair.

“Still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball and running the plays and things like that, but I thought he did a really good job.” Doing his part with his new team meant “just trying to find ways to be effective while I’m on the floor, and whatever’s asked of me,” he said. Lue did acknowledge that he should have given more playing time to Terance Mann, who was shifted to the bench because of Westbrook’s arrival and played only 17:32. “Just how I can be able to help make the game even more easier for them, so they don’t have to work as hard,” he said, “and, you know, we’ll get there.“ The Clippers are down to their final 20 games, a stretch they’ll launch with a visit to Western Conference-leading Denver on Sunday and at home against Minnesota on Tuesday. “It’s a blessing, just the excitement in the building,” Westbrook said. The Clippers see him as the point guard they’ve long been unable to find, a complement to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and not the third side of a triangle, as he was supposed to be with the Lakers alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. “It’s about what I imagined,” George said of Westbrook’s fit in his debut. [signed Russell Westbrook](https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2023-02-20/clippers-reportedly-plan-to-sign-russell-westbrook) this week, coach Tyronn Lue said he wasn’t expecting miracles from the nine-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of a game with that many points. It was who do the Clippers want to be? The Clippers entered Friday’s game ranked fourth in the NBA points allowed per game at 111.1.

Sacramento's 176-175 victory over LA in double-overtime marks the 2nd highest-scoring game in NBA history.

The Clippers held a 145-131 lead with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter only for the Kings to force overtime with a 22-8 run. With the Clippers nursing a 162-156 cushion midway through the first overtime period, the Kings ripped off six unanswered points in 74 seconds. The Kings (34-25) created a 2-game cushion over the Phoenix Suns (33-28) and a 2-1/2 game edge over the Clippers (33-29) for third place in the West with 23 regular-season games remaining. Sacramento forced four turnovers within a 42-second span, leading to three Fox layups and a Keegan Murray dunk that cut the Clippers’ lead to 147-144 with 1:58 remaining in regulation. Trailing 175-169, they closed out the game with seven unanswered points, including Fox’s 19-foot jumper to put Sacramento up for good with 36.1 seconds remaining. That’s why in my opinion, our game is the greatest game on Earth.” “Kudos to the players. That’s because Brown has mostly preached defense during coaching stops with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-10, 2013-14), Los Angeles Lakers (2011-12) and now the Kings (2022-present). The Kings shot remarkably efficient from the field (65-for-111) and from 3-point range (18-for-41). But with the modern game consisting of quick scoring outbursts, a high volume of 3s and fast-paced offense, does it seem inevitable NBA teams will soon score at this rate on a more regular basis? The fatigue caught up to them on the second night of a back-to-back. No two NBA teams had scored at such a prolific rate since the Detroit Pistons edged the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime on Dec.

In a game that effectively resembled a belated NBA All-Star exhibition matchup, the Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Sacramento Kings, 176-175, ...

The Suns have all the top-end talent in the world now, but any argument you could make against this Clippers team you could also make against them just as fiercely. We also don’t typically match up well against the Grizzlies, but they have shown some real signs of weakness this season too, and don’t have much by way of playoff experience. There were 58 minutes of basketball played in The Crypt in total last night. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to beat them this time, and there were moments when Westbrook was on the floor that played straight into De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk’s hands especially. Russ had 17 points on 7-13 shooting from the field, with 14 assists and 5 rebounds in 40 minutes. However, 25 turnovers ultimately killed the home team, in front of a packed crowd there to witness Russell Westbrook’s first game as a Clipper.

Russell Westbrook tried to make the most of his debut Friday, but he and the Clippers had too many turnovers to beat Sacramento in high-scoring affair.

In this week's letters to the Los Angeles Times Sports department, readers go over the pros and cons of Russell Westbrook joining the Clippers.

3 team yesterday 10-0 in five innings, but it wasn’t even worth a one-line mention in the Day in Sports column. But with a little help from The Times and others maybe it will someday be on the same level as the X Games. I have no delusion that track and field will ever be on the same level as the NFL or NBA. Let me get this straight: UCLA basketball players Jalen Hill, Cody Riley and Li'Angelo Ball stole sunglasses in China and were suspended for a season while Alabama star Brandon Miller supplied the gun used in a murder and he won’t miss a game. [Hernández: A Red Sox employee was suspended for sign-stealing role. [hired a key figure](https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2023-02-19/hernandez-dodgers-jt-watkins-red-sox-sign-stealing-scandal) from the 2018 Red Sox staff who technically cheated to help defeat them in that year’s World Series. [tries to write a nice column](https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2023-02-22/freddie-freeman-in-year-2-with-dodgers) about Freddie Freeman, doing a good job showing why the fans and his teammates fell in love with him so quickly last season, and he has to end it with a classless dig? Let’s quit whining and enjoy the “spectacle” for what it is. The Clippers’ decision to sign Russell Westbrook is really dumb. Russ isn’t going to fill the stat sheet or be a defensive stopper, but he can help raise the first Clippers’ banner. :: [would tell Russell Westbrook](https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2023-02-20/clippers-reportedly-plan-to-sign-russell-westbrook) not to shoot threes, unless the clock is running down, since his three-point shooting is practically the worst in the NBA.

Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn't waste much time seeing how well Westbrook would mesh with his new team. The eight-time All-Star signed after he ...

The Clippers will need Westbrook to continue to get up to speed with only 20 games remaining in the regular season. He missed his first three 3-point attempts before making one in the corner in the first overtime. Still learning the offense, still learning where guys like the basketball and where to get the ball,” Lue said. Westbrook was waived by Utah on Monday after being traded to the Jazz by the Lakers on Feb. “It was great to get back on the floor. Westbrook’s Clippers debut was overshadowed in what ended up being the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history.

The LA Clippers were hurt by this call vs. the Sacramento Kings.

Ben Golliver: Kings asked about Russell Westbrook joining Clippers De'Aaron Fox: “I don't give a f—- who's over there.” Malik Monk: “We ain't worried about ...

[bit.ly/3j6XSZJ](https://t.co/MG1E4sRubI)– [7:20 PM](https://twitter.com/MarkG_Medina/status/1629275163337318400) [bit.ly/3DFSCV7](https://t.co/MtemNq9Att)– [7:14 PM](https://twitter.com/MarkG_Medina/status/1629636056349040643) [Law Murray](https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU)@ [LawMurrayTheNU](https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU) [@NabilKarimTV](https://twitter.com/NabilKarimTV)on [@NBATV](https://twitter.com/NBATV). Got to love the NBA – [1:50 AM](https://twitter.com/ctsbulls/status/1629373173287272449) [Kevin O’Connor](https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA)@ [KevinOConnorNBA](https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA) [this storyline](/player/russell-westbrook//) [“The Clippers are pretty much admitting that Paul George drove this decision,”](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pvDAs8fRgwk1UPx0xDyjE?go=1&sp_cid=f4bbb4b5eebcd2a644ffbfe1bca5d13d&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1)Windhorst said of the team’s signing of Russell Westbrook. And they looked more into it, and they were like, ‘Well, there are some things he could potentially help us with.’” -via [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pvDAs8fRgwk1UPx0xDyjE?go=1&sp_cid=f4bbb4b5eebcd2a644ffbfe1bca5d13d&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1)/ February 24, 2023 – Anytime you can add that to a team that already has multiple Hall-of-Famers and a Hall-of-Fame coach, it just elevates your team.” – Westbrook, Plumlee and Paul George (who is on a minutes restriction) check out after more than 7 minutes together. [@martinweiss](https://twitter.com/martinweiss)& [@HuskeyEnt](https://twitter.com/HuskeyEnt)on [@FoxSportsRadio](https://twitter.com/FoxSportsRadio). That was just a necessity that we needed.” – The Kings spoiled Russell Westbrook’s debut w/ Clippers.

LOS ANGELES — Russell Westbrook made his LA Clippers debut on Friday night in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. Despite the 176-175 sc...

Just trying to learn some things about the newer guys and just trying to put some different pieces together and see how it looks. Not great, but it’s the way the Clippers want to use him and it’s not something he’s done to a large degree, so an adjustment period is expected. Westbrook’s 14 assists tied the franchise record with Andre Miller for assists in a debut. He did also add a team-high seven turnovers, and the Clippers finished with a whopping 25 giveaways leading to 42 points for the Kings. He shot 6-of-9 around the rim, attempted zero two-pointers outside of that range, and took four three-pointers, all of which were catch-and-shoot attempts. Despite the loss, there were certainly some positives to take away from Russell Westbrook’s first game. Just try to do different things to impact the game and using my IQ to be able to make plays for others.” Westbrook had spent the prior two weeks with his family and working out on his own. And that’s the sad part about it, but taking that out of it, just to being able to go out and competing, the support system around this was at an all time high. Not just that, but the support of the organization, my teammates, the fans, overall, it’s a great, debut but just didn’t get the win. [Kawhi Leonard](/nba/players/af27097c/kawhi-leonard) finished with a team-high 44 points for the Clippers on 16-of-22 shooting from the field. “Just trying to find ways to be effective while I’m on the floor, and whatever is asked of me, screening, whatever, rolling, handling, whatever that may be.

Now Westbrook is seemingly returning to a starting lineup, and he'll have big shoes to fill. Mann may not be as accomplished as Westbrook, but the Clippers have ...

Assuming Zubac remains in the starting five, the Clippers will now be starting two non-shooters. Mann may not be as accomplished as Westbrook, but the Clippers have been excellent since adding him to the starting five. Now Westbrook is seemingly returning to a starting lineup, and he'll have big shoes to fill. [Terance Mann](/nba/players/2202577/terance-mann/), who had been the nominal starting point guard for the Clippers over the past month or so, is expected to rejoin the second unit according to Murray. Westbrook had been a starter for most of his career, but after three ugly losses to begin this season, the Lakers moved him to the bench. [NBA](/nba/)'s Sixth Man of the Year award, averaging 15.9 points, 7.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game, but his fit with the Lakers slowly grew increasingly problematic.

In Russell Westbrook, the Clippers found a path to the 2017 NBA title ... No player in the NBA evokes more sentimental feelings than Russell Westbrook. Though he ...

While there are few statistics to measure how hard a player actually goes, the narrative of Westbrook as a hard worker no longer aligns with the numbers that do exist in 2023. This season, the Lakers had a 110.6 defensive rating when Westbrook was off the court. They didn’t seem to notice the flaming red flags on Westbrook’s game film this season — or really any of the past five. [shared a photoshopped](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co48EfJsnhH/) picture of Westbrook, already in a black Clippers jersey and generously positioned in the middle of his two all-star teammates, Kawhi Leonard and George. Conversely, Los Angeles outscored opponents by 125 points during James’s 1,632 minutes and were a plus-55 when the oft-injured Davis logged his abbreviated workload. Even [Don Lemon](https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/02/16/don-lemon-nikki-haley-cnn-prime-apology/?itid=lk_inline_manual_14) would suggest those Lakers were a “super team” past its prime. Even now, his 29 percent shooting from deep makes him an afterthought in the half court, while his This kind of heightened interest might have made sense back when Westbrook was a nightly triple-double machine on the cusp of winning the 2016-17 MVP award. Once upon a time, when a point guard could attain elite status by outplaying everyone, Westbrook, Leonard and George would have been a nightmare for the rest of the league. Another’s social media team [airbrushed ](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co49jDGrZkQ/)Westbrook in front of George. [agreed to a deal with Westbrook](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/02/20/russell-westbrook-clippers/?itid=lk_inline_manual_5), it felt as if it snatched up a player, whom the other Los Angeles team recently let go, in the same way someone might spy a discarded VCR on their neighbor’s curb: Sure looks perfectly fine, sturdy even. Westbrook’s teams — the Clippers will be his fifth since he inked that deal — have struggled in the playoffs.

Russell Westbrook went for a double-double of 17 points and 14 assists in his Clippers debut.

However, in comparison to the Lakers, the Clippers have an entire roster of perimeter shooters who can make up for Westbrook's lack of a threat from outside of the paint. 10 p.m. He took rookie forward Keegan Murray off the dribble, finishing at the rim to put LA up three with 15.2 seconds remaining. As LA looks to make a push for its first championship in franchise history, will Westbrook be the missing piece? Once he signed with the team, Head coach Ty Lue [didn't mince words when he discussed Westbrook's role](https://twitter.com/AndrewGreif/status/1628855705951412224?s=20), inserting him right into the starting lineup. It was immediately made clear that Westbrook wouldn't suit up for Utah, awaiting a contract buyout to gain the freedom to latch on to a team with championship aspirations. The potential spacing issue was known when the Clippers signed Westbrook but in his debut, we got a glimpse of what it looks like on a new team.

Skip Bayless still found a way to throw shade at Lakers superstar LeBron James as Skip clowned Russell Westbrook.

His negativity towards both LeBron James and Russell Westbrook is well documented, and not even the fact that they’re now on opposing teams has stopped Skip from his shade-throwing. Clips have fallen into the same trap LeBron did before last season, saying they’ll “let Russ be Russ.” He’ll be on his best behavior for a while, then …” Bayless wrote in his tweet. Unsurprisingly, [Skip Bayless](/tag/skip-bayless) had something to say about this development as the 71-year-old somehow found a way to link [Los Angeles Lakers](/nba/los-angeles-lakers) superstar [LeBron James](/nba/players/b1a9094f/lebron-james) to his Russ slander.

After getting his contract bought out by the Utah Jazz, Russell Westbrook landed with the Los Angeles Clippers. According to Brian Windhorst from ESPN, ...

The guard has been averaging 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.5 assists this season. "From what I understand, they were internally against it at the start." [D'Angelo Russell](https://basketnews.com/players/17893-dangelo-russell.html), [Malik Beasley](https://basketnews.com/players/19144-malik-beasley.html), and [Jared Vanderbilt](https://basketnews.com/players/22986-jarred-vanderbilt.html). [Utah Jazz](https://basketnews.com/teams/670-utah-jazz.html), [Russell Westbrook](https://basketnews.com/players/6405-russell-westbrook.html) landed with the [Los Angeles Clippers](https://basketnews.com/teams/356-los-angeles-clippers.html). [Los Angeles Lakers](https://basketnews.com/teams/357-los-angeles-lakers.html) guard.

Following his buyout earlier this week, here is the latest update on whether or not Russell Westbrook will be making his debut for the LA Clippers.

This is fantastic news, as the two-time scoring champion has adapted to his new environment fairly quickly. The biggest thing to watch is how Westbrook adjusts to his new teammates. Outside of his premier scoring and play-making, he brings a level of experience that the team will need during the postseason.