Now in his 15th season, Russell Westbrook, like Charles Barkley in the 1990s, is more hungry than ever for a title. After clearing waivers with the Utah Jazz, Russell Westbrook has joined the Los Angeles Clippers. He spent more than one and a half seasons with the LA Lakers. To put it mildly, it was anything from easy.
During his tenure with Lakers Nation, Westbrook played with possibly his worst spacing. Teams would sag off 5 feet from him as a result, challenging him to attempt and make jump shots.
The majority of the time, Westbrook would fall for the trap, resulting in some of the worst efficiency numbers in the NBA. However, his tendency for making dumb mistakes frequently destroyed the Lakers’ momentum. Even in Westbrook’s rookie year, trade rumors persisted quite a bit.
Lakers are 1-8 without Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/RavEJHu9N4
Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) February 14, 2023
Keep Russell Westbrook On The Bench In The Fourth: Players for the Lakers reportedly disagree with Brodie’s lack of playing time.
Russ was a bench player as the Lakers made an effort to capitalize on the situation. That didn’t significantly alter their situation, though. During the Russ era, their win-loss record remained below.500. Almost everyone was aware that a change was necessary. On the day of the deadline, it arrived.
Charles Barkley’s Comments on Russell Westbrook and His Fit with The Clippers
Appearing on a panel for Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley appears more optimistic about Russell Westbrook’s fit with the Clippers than the majority of NBA supporters. He said this:
“I have a few thoughts. You know how much I adore Russ, so this is his best chance to win a championship. Tyronn Lue’s presence on the bench, in my opinion, is crucial.
“You don’t have to be the guy when you’ve got Kawhi and Paul George, like. He will enter the game from the bench. But the hatred he feels for the Lakers is because they really let him down when he was in LA. He was held responsible for everything.
“The team they had the previous year was garbage. It was pure garbage. It was Russ’ fault, they said. It will be entertaining to see him get mad. And this is his finest opportunity to capture the championship.
This is [Russell Westbrook s] best chance to win a championship. He s going to be angry, it s going to be great to watch.
Chuck on Westbrook s impact on the Clippers pic.twitter.com/1s9sCOj1vA
NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 24, 2023
What Are the Clippers’ Championship Chances with Westbrook?
During the trade deadline, the Clippers strengthened some of their roster’s holes. They brought in Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee, and Bones Hyland, all of whom can contribute throughout the postseason.
For the first time since Chris Paul left the organization, they now have the luxury of a genuine point guard thanks to Russell Westbrook. Jordan has always been a shoot-first guard, but that isn’t how he’s supposed to be used on these Clippers’ teams.
They Surround Westbrook with A Group of Spacers, Including Kawhi, Pg-13, Marcus Morris, Terance Mann, Eric Gordon, and Norman Powell, in order to get the greatest performance out of him. Ivica Zubac is a standout role man as well.
