Does Russell Westbrook Make The Nuggets Better?

The highlight of the Nuggets’ offseason was signing a 35-year old Russell Westbrook... but does this move actually make them better?
► Website: www.hoopvenue....
► Twitter: / hoopvenue_
► Instagram: / hoopvenue_
► Twitch: / hoopvenue
► Discord Server: / discord

[@leon-zt7wu]

continue to resist the gambling sponsors please. im so sick of em

[@jodavsco]

Yes bro! This gambling movement I do not like at all

[@darkstar4450]

You know, you don't have to gamble. It's like being sick of a Wendy's ad. You don't have to eat there, bro I don't gamble either, but I don't b**** about it.😂​@jodavsco

[@mrjenchilada]

@@darkstar4450are people not allowed to state grievances they have with something?

[@darkstar4450]

@@mrjenchilada Man the fuck up. Ignore the commercial it'll be okay. Just like I could have ignored this comment, Because it totally doesn't affect me.

[@caml1720]

@@mrjenchilada you fool. what about grievances with those grievances

[@doubletrouble4153]

would be happy to see Westbrook to get his first ring, as it didnt work out with the clippers hopefully it will with the nuggets.

[@jasondh4777]

Playoffs will expose Russel Westbrook

[@roscoefilms]

@@jasondh4777 not at all

[@Seve-wi7si]

Didn't work with the clippers cuz ty Lue use him a s spot up shooter and playing him with Plumlee and Tucker.

[@sammyslam1]

​@@Seve-wi7si...and never once tried to change the tempo, pace, or half court actions by playing James at the 2 and sliding PG to the 3...... James is the better shooter, even on catch and shoot opportunities, so Russ could have easily taken over some of the point guard minutes to break down The Mavericks defense and give The Clippers a different look and pace. The James Harden pace was not great for the "team" as The Mavs were defending what The Clippers liked to do fairly easily and mostly it made the best player on the team(Paul George) look more ineffective(yes i do take into account PG's lackluster postseason performances) I said it when they traded for James Harden, keep Russ at the 1 and either have Harden do his "The System" work as a reserve or play James at the 2, like Russ did for him in Houston.... "OR" run a similar system to what D'Antoni ran in Houston where he gave both the ball at a high usage rate and let them lead(Harden 36/Russ 34) Which is also what i recommended for The Lakers. Russ is not a shooting guard but the last few head coaches have been stubborn in trying to turn him into one. Coach Malone "should" simply allow Russ to play point guard. Whether it's starting or as a reserve, just let him run and create.....that's what he does and since he is supported by capable scorers in Denver, the tendency to try and take over games won't happen(unless there is an injury to Jokic or Murray, when asked to increase his shot attempts and scoring in the 2022/2023 postseason, Russ was fine) Russ will help The Nuggets if they play him at pg.

[@predragnikolic5807]

​@@jasondh4777Every player that plays with Jokic, in a Denver's Team-oriented system, get's a lot better. Remember Bruce Brown? He looked like a force of nature with them. Now, you got Russ in that role. And don't forget - Russ is an MVP who wants a ring so much. This will be a great fit. I hope it will make the whole league to think to play less 3-ball game. Nuggets will show them they know better. And it would be great for the fans. Cause 3-ball is really boring, and doesn't fall in the Playoffs.

[@shieldon530]

Not to sound like an NPC but I can’t wait for the mid season breakdown of Wemby. I bet Pop is gonna be using him in some really cool ways this year

[@S3verusMyG]

on my LIFE hes gonna be in mvp convos (but in the crappy carmelo way) at the end of the season

[@youngnas15]

Wemby is over rated he’s not all that his offense ain’t amazing. It’s good but it’s not great. He’s not a great shooter or creator or passer

[@m3gajj]

@@youngnas15 Bro he's 20 and only one season in, he just had a proper full offseason with Pop and other people like CP, his passing and shooting will improve as his in game IQ develops, if he wanted to, he could try to develop similar passing styles to Jokic and his offense

[@unknownname6519]

​@@youngnas15ok hater

[@ICanWalkOnH2ObutCantSwim]

Wemby with some muscle mass would be a cheat code

[@godenhwang2603]

Russ’s greatest value will have to be his creation leading the bench unit. Without either Jokic or Jamal there is no one on that bench that I feel comfortable creating shots. Russ at least is proven to be a great shot creator when he isn’t taking dumb shots and turning the over.

[@williamli3872]

I think the Nuggets would prefer to stagger Murray and Jokic minutes and have Russ's estimated 20-25 minutes primarily aligned with Jokic on the floor. Their passing opens up easy shots for one another but without a unicorn like Jokic on the court with him, Russ's impact is league average at best and some times a detriment.

[@09lowkey]

One of Westbrook's greatest talents is undoubtably being able to unlock the 2nd unit regardless of who they are. Mediocre bigs become solid contributors, average shooters become high volume shooters which can be dangerous at times, defenders without rigid confidence start to look very shakey when he posts up. He has alot to offer. Also, if his stint with the Clippers proved anything, it's that at this age he's proven willing to apply himself on Defense, you don't always see that from aging star guards.

[@joebenson528]

@@09lowkey "Defense is just hard work. There will be nights when your shots won't fall, but you can play good defense every night." - Red Auerbach

[@09lowkey]

@@joebenson528 All facts, Defense is more about mentality and a willingness to put forth the effort. The bare minimum required to be a competent defender is to care enough to try.

[@tynick2177]

Bottomline russ is better than KCP and jackson ...upgrade..

[@shieldon530]

Like you said, Russ just hasn’t had anything productive to do in his last few situations which hurts his reputation. I hope coach Malone and the nuggets roster give Russ a chance to be dangerous again and not just be a spot up scapegoat.

[@shorewall]

The way the Nuggets play, they would be asking him at the least to cut towards the basket for passes from Joker, instead of spotting up around a Kawhi or Harden ISO. Or leading the bench with the ball in his hands. I think they know better than to count on Russ as a 3 pt. shooter.

[@MrBubblecake]

I’ve always said Bias is a cancer, and this comment is more proof of that. The fact that this idiot and the other biased idiots who liked his comment, were able to convince themselves that franchises are going out of their way to make Westbrook look bad by signing him. As if any franchise would actually intentionally put a mediocre shooter on the floor and tell him to take jump shots just to slander him 🤡 and lose games while doing so 🤡 You same delusional idiots praised the Clippers just last season “Westbrook finally found a team where he fits” but when Westbrook’s ego took over as it always does and he started jacking up horrible bricks and leading the clippers in turnovers from the bench. You wanna blame the clippers and try to flip the situation around? Nah fuck that. Welcome to reality asshole, the one where Westbrook takes accountability for his own play and people like you are seen as nothing but the biased idiot you are. I’m sure when he bricks his way out of Denver, you’ll accuse the nuggets of sabotaging him too! 🤡

[@jsarguitar]

@@shorewall I didn't see it very often the last few seasons. I think westbrook will be absolutely lethal on the cut on this team off jokic passes. Will draw lots of attention.

[@indiefan23]

Westbrick put up better %s with the Lakers than he did in his MVP year and got exposed dude. When has he ever been in a good situation? He makes good situations bad.

[@atlien2005]

@@indiefan23you’re wrong his mvp season TS% was better.

[@cugelchannel4733]

Russ is not a replacement for KCP. He's replacing Reggie Jackson, who was not good at all last year and was a defensive liability as well. They had to stagger Jamal a lot and it was not great as well as taking him away from Jokic. The bench still won't be great with Russ, but it will be better. They added Dario Saric who can excel as a rolling big man if Russ can provide the penetration. And Julian Strawther can provide a lot of scoring from the perimeter if he's wide open as he showed in the first first pre-season game against the Celtics. All in all, Denver is actually better than last year since they replaced the 2 things they lost from the Championship season, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green. For the first time in 5 years they have a backup C who can actually play similar style to Jokic in Saric so they don't have 2 completely different offenses one for Joker and one without.

[@ekctro]

idk if you watched but there is no if russ provides penetration it’s if he hits the shot after he gets it open

[@cugelchannel4733]

@@ekctro No, he's not a spot up shooter. He either penetrates for a layup or else kicks the ball to Dario Saric, Peyton Watson or Julian Strawther. They don't want him taking 3's! He probably will anyway but hopefully not too many! Still he's better than Reggie Jackson. Reggie was unplayable in the playoffs.

[@ekctro]

@@cugelchannel4733 i’m not reading all that

[@Djoga100]

@@ekctro how lazy you are lol

[@09lowkey]

I agree, Christian Braun is supposed to step up and takeover KCP's role. To his credit, he's earned the opportunity to. Westbrook replacing Reggie Jackson is a win, Westbrook has been the better player his whole career in comparison.

[@maartenvz]

I was very sceptical at first but this video talked about all the things i've doubted and gave compelling arguments changing my view. Well done sir!

[@greenswamponion7330]

At worst hes a high energy guy that can make others around him play better. Sounds kind of corny but its true. Get a big dunk or clutch rebound in a tight game the team feeds off that energy

[@shieldon530]

Exactly this. Especially come playoff time Denver at worst can get a net zero 18 to 25 minutes from him a night with a few stinkers to go with a lot more positive to brilliant performances

[@biggringus5499]

except for when he's a low energy guy that makes others around him worse. If his team is already winning, Westbrook is fine. If they are losing, he is sulking.

[@nikithkadambi4208]

​@@biggringus5499When has this ever happened. You just sound like a hater 0:52

[@unknownname6519]

​@@biggringus54996:17 maybe you should watch the video...

[@akwesirobinson1710]

Facts at his best like you see the preseason his shot form looking than it ever been

[@harrisontull8377]

As a Nuggets fan, I think Russ will be a good addition if he is taking the place of Reggie Jackson leading the bench. If he's in the starting lineup thought, my expectations are low.

[@michaelbietsch2864]

I'm actually insanely excited for Russ being on my team. But first, I would like to address the shooting. With the starters, particularly Braun, I feel people act like he's a 29% shooter, which just isn't the case. During college, he was a 37% shooter. In his first year, he was a 35% shooter, and last year, he shot 38% from 3. People look at KCP's stats and see 40%, but every year he's shot over 40%, it's been next to Jokic or LeBron, two of the best table setters of all time. Braun, in contrast, just shot 38% on 2 attempts, but his shots came largely in a horribly disjointed, awkward bench offense. I see absolutely 0 reason he can't up his 3 point volume by two or three shots and maintain roughly the same % from there. Sure, I'm not expecting him to be playoff Kawhi from 3, but I would bet he'll be respectable enough that Jokic and Jamal can cook. As for the bench, Strawther's 3 point % last year was abysmal, but largely in part to playing on a partially torn meniscus, expect him to be closer to 40% than to 35%. Then there's Vlatko, a significantly better shooter than Pwat (who ended up having to play up a position, which I firmly believe negatively effected his over all game on both ends), and Saric, who make Zeke Nnaji look like the worst NBA player that ever was by comparison, and can also shoot. As far as Russ, a lot of non-nugget fans are acting like we've made the same mistake as the Lakers - trading KCP for Russ, but that's not even close to reality. First, they traded KCP, Kuzma, and let Caruso walk, then paid Russ 40 million. We, on the other hand, are paying him 2.3 million, and replaced not KCP, but Reggie Jackson. Reggie was a great person, but as far as play, but outside the first month and a half, he played like low volume Allen Iverson, without the handle, or athleticism. After sometime mid-December, he averaged 8 points on 39/36/82 splits. The one thing he did better than Russ - shoot, was still not good. At this point in his career, we know who Russ is, we know he's going to be incredibly frustrating at times, but the energy he brings, coupled with his play making, rim pressure, and defense, he's going to do everything Reggie did (other than shoot), but a dozen times better.

[@michaelbietsch2864]

I'd like to add, last year, we had an absolute GARBAGE bench, Jokic sitting basically meant we'd lose all momentum, go down 8-10 points in like 3 minutes, and then the starters would have to exhaust themselves regaining said momentum. If the bench can be the 20th worst in the league, rather than the 30th, that's a HUGE boon. Come playoff time, our guys were ragged. (Jamal mostly due to compound leg injuries throughout the season, and the nail in the coffin being he injured himself in like game 79)

[@rndrtxy6021]

I’m Sure what ever you said is a good statement but ion think anyone gonna read this bro

[@UnoDinero95001]

You know ball, & i feel like i follow you on twitter 😂

[@ronschwolsky1626]

Russ is also a very good rebounder. His effort and energy makes up for his turnovers and mediocre shooting.

[@strollas]

medicore shooting? he was dead last in three point percentage last year and every playoff defense is more than happy to leave him as a guard open

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@strollas Shooting is more than 3pt. Not that he was ever that good overall in recent seasons, but he’s not horrible like he is from 3

[@bikramarora1819]

@@Jonathan-A.C.he went 4/32 against the Mavs

[@Jonathan-A.C.]

@@bikramarora1819 He had a 34% TS%, which is terrible, but the single Playoff series wasn’t my point. He’s n it terrible in shooting across the floor, more just 3’s, and he’s been decent before, so I think it’s something they can work on

[@g0414]

You forgot to mention that he'll be playing with dario saric, another stretch 5

[@matthewmckenzie8921]

I think we also need to mention that they picked up Dario Saric, a good shooting big who paired with Russ would benefit greatly from his slashing and playmaking.

[@andrewfung9340]

At least if Westbrook misses these layups Jokic can clean it up easily probably 😂

[@UnoDinero95001]

When *😂

[@stalwartzero7001]

Westbrooks energy, experience, and love for the game are good for anyone he plays for

[@pinobluevogel6458]

From what we know about Russel Westbrook as a teammate and lockerroom presence, he's been extremely positive in that aspect. An intense guy for sure, he can be fired up for real, but overall people love him. That, coupled with his elite traits of bringing pace, rim pressure, playmaking and solid 1v1 defense is more than enough value to have on a team. I can't lie, I like Russ. Maybe it is a bit of the underdog role he has had ever since he joined the Lakers. But it was the fault of the Lakers that he wasn't used optimally and frankly he should have never been on the team to begin with. As we saw in the Clippers playoff series last year, he can have impactful minutes and step up when the time comes. On that team, he was quite impactful, despite it being a not too great fit with all the isolation going on. Let's hope he can have a good season or two to redeem himself fully, so we remember this (reduced role) version of Westbrook in a more positive light.

[@TraeYoungJJ1]

I actually do think it makes them better if Russ locks in

[@monkeymoo87]

While Russ has positives imo the bad shooting outweighs everything especially in the playoffs

[@MuckNoya]

His shot looks better lol I know it's the preseason so we will see

[@akwesirobinson1710]

@@MuckNoyafacts that what I am saying his shot form look better than it have in years

[@boibng7861]

@@MuckNoya he is 35, he is who he is and we have a huge sample size of him being a bad shooter

[@andreglenn74]

@@boibng7861 Jason Kidd became a better shooter in his later years. There’s no such thing as “ he is what he is “. If an Athlete puts the effort, and would with a shooting coach, he can get better. Jason Kidd hit important shots on the Mavericks and got his ring, and I guess there’s vídeos of him talking about changing his shooting techinique

[@danbobway5656]

​@@andreglenn74this is the most copium thing ive ever seen lmfaoooooo, theres no way you really believe westbrick literally nicknamed because he hasnt had a jumper in his 15 years in the league is gonna suddenly learn to shoot because he hit a 3 in a pre season game lmfaoooooo, like if you are gonna be delusional atleast lie and talk about his "energy" or playmaking and transition with his speed lmao, thats all more realistic than thinking russ is gonna become a monster shooter in year 15 while being left wide open for like 5 years now too shooting like 28% in reg season and 18% in the playoffs....

[@mingloff]

I think it does. The nuggets have a lot of guys on their roster that are simply not nba players and don't have nba level skills. Russ does, and at this point given the cap sitaution they're in, they just need guys that can do some positive things on the court instead of only negative. Obviously Russ has a lot of negatives about his game, but he is still a decent ball handler and quite the passer. He also has the ability to get in the paint, and while he isn't good at finishing in said paint, he can at least get there which not many nuggets guards have been able to do over the years.

[@racimegacar]

That is the best description of Russ game, especially his game in Denver. PNR between Russ and Jokic will be a killer

[@effingtheineffable6827]

My optimism grows when I match this analysis with what Saric brings to them. The bench definitely got better.

[@UnoDinero95001]

Omg a nuggets video, ima cry

[@KNRS927]

He gives them a floor raiser who can run the bench unit when Jokic sits, which is something Denver hasn't had in a while. He also can help them run at a faster pace, but that can come with turnovers. And then he can play in the PnR with Jokic as the screener or even ballhandler while Russ sets the screen. Problem arises when you play Russ and Gordon together as teams tend to leave both open. And then that non-shooting as a guard is a problem too. Overall, just depends how Mike Malone runs his lineups but it could be good or bad.

[@ronkz7854]

Floor raiser??? 😂 More likely floor mopper

[@thephilosophicalgamerfr]

5 minutes in I HAVE to point this out. Many, and I mean MANY of his layups have started to turn into dead ball turnovers at this point of his career. It was a big talking point between clippers fans because he just chucks up a horrible shot around the rim and it damn near always leads to an disadvantageous 4v5 transition scenario for the defense. He did have his upsides, but especially around playoff time, all of them get shut down and his weaknesses get exploited to the max. The only bright light (at least consistently) is his rebounding and defense at this point. He's just a non factor if not a liability on the offensive side at this point when talking about playoff basketball. Easiest player to gameplan when it matters most.

[@legendlee1576]

You def got me thinking more critically about schemes and things that could actually make this an amazing pick up

[@ttt2690]

Meh , you forgot they’ll be straight up out scored by wolves, mavs ? Hell, come back I’m telling you rn the warriors are gonna win they’re games against Denver

[@pronghornxx]

Great in-depth analysis! As a Nuggets fan I’m excited to see Westbrook on the team. He plays with passion and energy - Malone just needs to find ways and times to insert that into the Nuggets’ offense and defense. And I believe Westbrook will be hungry for a title as this is probably his last chance.

[@andredornelles8014]

Jokic might be the only guy in the league able to make Russ look decent. I really don't understand why people are so crazy about Russ "deserving" a ring at this stage as one of things he did the least over his career is playing proper team basketball. Being more realistic, I just hope he learns skills other players usually learn at the age of 12 which is decent cutting.

[@AndrewWoodsX9]

tldr: no. we got rid of too many valuable pieces. we were 10 minutes away of putting the wolves away and coasting into another nba championship win after that series. but management just threw it all away and picked up a bad player instead of more size.

[@Ballg0d230]

The nuggets and Westbrook will be a perfect match and will win the championship this year in part because of how well Russ plays in our system

[@MookieSFZ]

If donte went to nuggets instead of timberwolves now that’s a scary team

[@SandcastleGirl]

100% agree 👍🏾

[@MalachiteKiwa]

For me, I think of it as filling the Bruce Brown role at the minimum. For someone who was MVP like ten years ago, being a useful member to the current MVP is good enough

[@JoseGuzman-ne3pk]

Well if the nuggets face the suns in the first round we know Westbrook is going to show up he always does especially when it’s against kd.

[@twowheelseatingmeals-motoj8080]

*They could never make me hate you Russ* He's one of the players I would love to see get a ring finally...

[@PeterCasual]

Aging former superstar with volatile personality who cant shoot. Great pickup Nuggz

[@andredornelles8014]

Huh losing KCP and getting Russ is not a grat recipe for a championship team 😅

[@Gen5Switchy]

You clowns need to stop saying Russ has bad touch at the rim 🤣 he shot 64% at the rim 4x !!!! drose mvp season 61%fg why are you comparing him to centers & not guards to say he’s a bad finisher

[@ElliotScottDating]

Westbrook is going to go real good with jokic.

[@09lowkey]

Westbrook still has alot to offer the game. At this point in his career he's not the superstar he used to be but he still provides all the intangible skills and prowess that helped him get to his peak. If anything, I think Jokic will do a much better job at figuring out how to help him be effective than the Lakers and the Clippers stars did. Will they win the chip, who knows, but he'll definitely give you more than Reggie Jackson did especially if they meet the Wolves again in the playoffs.

[@itboznkgvjugjtfg]

Top notch as usual, sir.

[@shieldon530]

That video of Jokic tryna yam in practice is too good 😂 say what you will about him Westbrook is able to make even the most unwavering stocks experience the joys of basketball and life

[@susannebohler5397]

bro even makes a movie about 2024 Westbrook 😭😭 but I love it

[@miyagifatghost2684]

No the answer is simply No Henceforth the trades

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

6th man westbrook is gonna be lethal🔥

[@AK-bq6py]

I will bet my house that he’s washed up

[@Equilyzr]

we already saw that this previous season, nothing special at all

[@ronkz7854]

For sure. Lethal for the Nuggets 😂

[@jlui21]

-- For only $3.8M, I have no expectations for Westbrick but energy and hustle (in 15mpg).

[@sammyslam1]

Washed up?? As the starting pg he was 15/8/7 for The Clippers......on solid shooting efficiency He's far from washed up. He just wants to play point guard. He's not a shooting guard.

[@eddardstark6179]

6 teams in 7 years, he doesn't make a single nba team better 😂

[@Gen5Switchy]

Acoustic logic if he didn’t make teams better he wouldn’t get traded for in the first place he also requested trades from 3 of those teams

[@heyarnold8023]

I think he adds to what they have going on perfectly

[@HoopEnthusiasts]

AMA be honest, the fit is still questionable, his playmaking and rim pressure is valuable for them but they also play half court oriented offense which can get ugly with Russ against top defenses, I would have loved if they got someone like Lonnie walker too to run 2man games with Joker

[@mosessupposes2571]

AROO usually dishonest? Why?

[@cloudwalker9572]

Call me crazy but this Russ/Jokic duo feels like Magic and Kareem. Transition buckets, athletic pg that dishes out, big that is unstoppable in offense more skilled than athletic.

[@sb8481]

Look, I know KZbinrs need to put work in. No vids, no revenue but come on mane. Westbrook, making a difference on a team that needs some things that he doesnt provide. The things he used to provide or can at times, wont have enough impact on wins. I'll say this though, if he was with let's say the Timberwolves, just bringing that passion and energy, okay, cool. Thats what he brings now, Westbrick is not changing the game for any team unless they are dumb/desperate enough to start him or give him significant minutes. Because, he'll change their team...into one of the goofiest teams in the league.

[@FootyInsights_]

I think Russ can be a helpful regular season player for the Nuggets, but I do worry a ton about his playoff utility

[@iixxion]

the fact that JOKIC personally asked for russ to join the team is all i need to know. do you think the analysts know basketball better than Jokic does? lol

[@jamarionwest8044]

The Denver nuggets will be in the playoffs and the play in tournament and the NBA finals this season 😎🤩👍

[@MuckNoya]

Him and ant on the fast break will be crazy

[@robertbloom4424]

The Nugs have a few young guys who can develop into reliable shooters. If they're going to do anything, they will need someone to step up behind the arc.

[@DeDoopliss]

My prediction is he wont make them worse but he won't make them better either. I doubt he will have much impact overall.

[@Optimator7]

I hope it works out for them. Let's get a ring for Russ!

[@chiggsytube]

2k25 shooting makes me empathize with Russ more than ever.

[@gian323]

Not just the non-Jokic minutes, but the non Murray minutes are going to matter too. Keep him off the bench and he's much better. Murray needs to heal and then get in rhythm. Rus is an awesome band aid and Jokic even wanted him. Should be a fun season

[@mhead1117]

He makes them real contenders tbh

[@louisdisla6527]

Im just looking forward to Russ being given one singular role for a whole season instead of asking him to do 7 different roles every night without the ball in his hands too

[@BallinVlogs]

Russell Westbrook is OP!

[@UGotSerbed]

Westbrook was brought in to replace Reggie Jackson, not KCP. The latters position was filled by Christian Braun.

[@Byronic19134]

12:22 The answer here is so simple and yet the Clippers or Lakers coudn’t do it because of the forwards they had on their team, and that’s simply to put Russ in the dunkers spot. Use him like they did Bruce Brown. Just have him roaming baseline ready to take a dump off instead of out the 3 point line.

[@nigelee]

I'm sure they'll look decent enough during the regular season, but come playoff time teams will zone up and force them to shoot. And they won't make enough to count.

[@NatDoa]

While I see your argument about the drive and drops, that area of the field already dominated by Jokic right now. There's no coach in NBA that will plan against Russ and Jokic on the court with "let me double Russ when he's slashing and risk Jokic's shot". They literally play in the same area of the field but Russ is considerably worse due to efficiency. The Clippers numbers for Russ are with mostly shooters except for Zubac. Denver as you mentioned isn't a good outside shooting team that lost their 3rd best shooter. So now Russ is going to drive to the same area that's occupied with Jokic. I think the only time Russ is going to be effective is with the bench team or cutting without the ball if he's on the field with Jokic. You can maybe play Russ as Gordon role where he's in the dunkers spot but I just don't see that due to their size difference. I just don't see a good fit, hopefully I'm wrong and Denver are better but their depth chart is a bit iffy at best.

[@jakebishop7822]

Great video, I'd just like to note that non shooter Christian Braun is a career 37% three point shooter. Still obviously a shooting downgrade from KCP, but leaving Braun open for 3 is absolutely not valid defense

[@Him671-y9d]

He shot 42% from three after all star last year.

[@ryankayombya7576]

Not in the playoffs

[@Him671-y9d]

@@ryankayombya7576 and so people cannot improve in their expanded role, I would hope that his exhaustible efforts during the summer would relay to a better playoff shooting percentage and KCP didn't play well either

[@fedjavuckovic5920]

I think Russ is the perfec repleacment for Bruce Brown that Nuggets didn't have last season. Similar play style and scoring treath. Yes he is worse in shooting, but is better as 2nd unit leadee and creator. The only question is if Brown and Watson can step up and repleace KCP. If they can even remotly so, Nuggets are easily favourites to get out of west.

[@j.s.friedman9649]

Let me tell you something, Westbrook has proven to make teams worse everywhere he goes, frankly a 65% free throw shooter and 30% from 3, doesn't even belong in the league, some people think he's the anointed one, again their wrong

[@kendrickjenkins96]

Idk man…to me, at BEST he helps Denver tread water in the non-Jokic minutes and then becomes borderline unplayable in the postseason with their already limited spacing… That’s BEST case scenario not even taking into account aging

[@a3per818]

Russ gets to the rim a good amount for a guard and pushes the pace. He also generates a ton of turnovers while doing so and shoots well below league average from every spot on the court. The 2 man game with Jokic could be viable, except he's barely going to play with Jokic because they need to maximise the Jokic minutes and the Jamal 2 man game is infinitely better. Historically, Russ has also been pretty inactive without the ball and he can't shoot either so he is an active liability without the ball. So theur hope is effectively that Russ would lead a bench full of non shooters to a decent offense (not going to happen).

[@FierceZs1]

He had 2.1 avg last season what do you mean "A ton of turnovers"? And he shot 45.4% last season, which is not "well below average". At least know your stuff before you type

[@a3per818]

@@FierceZs1 2.1 turnovers with just 22.5 mpg and a relatively low scoring load. Do yourself a favour and go to statmuse and look up "Westbrook shot chart". He's worse than league average from nearly every spot. And imagine using fg% as a measure of total efficiency in 2024, Westbrook shot an abysmal 51.3% true shooting while the average point guard had 56.4%.

[@FierceZs1]

@@a3per818 define to me the correlation to "scoring load" and "a ton" of turnovers TS% is all encompassing, not every 2 or 3 point shot attempt are created equal. eFG is a better measurement and even then you're summing up the whole game into a single percentage outside of assists, defensive plays and every other metric that defines a player.

[@a3per818]

@@FierceZs1 Pretty simple, if you also have to score a lot in addition to playmaking, you will generate more turnovers. Russ produces more turnovers per 75 than the average PG despite having fewer points per 75. And true shooting is meant to be an efficiency statistic, why would you use it for defense? If you don't want to use true shooting then you can just look at his shot chart and see that he's worse than league average from nearly all spots.

[@outpostbc4470]

He was a finisher then going to the lakers after the wizards it messed with his mental it took a step away from what he should be playing like

[@whynotkf3808]

Ngl Great breakdown

[@bmk2561]

saying when playoffs came he became unplayable is such a bs. its not his fault that the coaching staff altered the whole play for him. look at the playoffs on the year before where he actually plays like hes supposed to. couldve been a contender if kawhi and pg were healthy

[@Just_A_Thought1217]

Russell Westbrook makes every team he is on better. He is all effort. Great teammate. Great leader. He has accepted starting he has accepted coming off the bench. Lets enjoy this guy and stop criticizing him. He has never been a legit 3 pt shooter. What he will do is bring more energy , a scorer, assist man, and hustle guy off the bench. Great pickup for denver

[@bikramarora1819]

He made both the Rockets and Lakers significantly worse, so no, he doesn’t “make every team he is on better”. You must be thinking of CP3

[@lilchange1351]

I think the regular szn will highlight all the positives you mentioned but come playoffs, Russ unfortunately is someone teams know to how game plan against and I can't foresee how the nuggets change that narrative

[@sammyslam1]

Russ was fantastic in the 2022/2023 playoffs. He was playing point guard. He wasn't as fantastic in the 2023/2024 playoffs because he was playing more shooting guard due to James Harden playing nearly 40-42 mins per game, all at point guard. Not once did Coach Lue switch their roles a bit to "try" a different pace of play against what The Mavericks game-planned against. If Coach Malone plays Russ at point guard there will be no issues and remember we are not talking about high volume shot attempt postseason Russ as a Nugget. Jokic and Murray will be the #1 and #2 scoring options even if Russ' role has been elevated to starter due to Christian Braun not being quite dynamic enough. I think Coach Malone will find a way to get Jokic, Murray, and Russ on the floor together, with Murray playing more off the ball. Russ was playing very well as the starting point guard for The Clippers. He will help The Nuggets a lot!

[@ohmowens57]

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR!!!

[@ulicesventura11]

If it doesn’t work out in Denver will this be his last szn?

[@NewWorldDreams47]

The Nuggets are cooked 🤷🏿‍♂️ At least Jokic will avg more rebounds off Westbrick's misses 🤣🤣🤣

[@PetarZorić-k3b]

It doesn't matter any more, Nuggets owner and FO destroyed this team chances of winning another title beyond repair.

[@ErinBanneret]

I think Russ became unplayable this past year because Harden needs the ball in his hands, PG and Harden are isolation heavy, and they didn't really give Russ the time to get into rhythm.

[@nostalgic978]

You also gotta remember that a lot of Russ’s decline is mental. He’s finally on a team that got no superstar agendas and there not a big market he will feel at home instantly and be a great fit

[@CapoMoney-z7i]

To Answer Your Questions!!? NO WestBrick Does Not Make Em Better

[@zoesmith231]

The pendulum has swung from everyone underutilizing the three to overvaluing it. There are multiple ways of putting the ball in the rim - you just have to do so efficiently. I would much rather have Russ the Reggie in the playoffs

[@MikeTheNBAGuy]

Russ might actually be able to make Peyton Watson playable

[@mrrashi5925]

Denver has been incompetent in the non jokic minutes for so long, whatever the second unit looks like with Russ can’t possibly be worse. I’m optimistic with the right staggering and lineup construction that this may be one of the best benches jokic has had in his time in Denver (not a very high bar).

[@sirris4330]

Ill be honest I'm not real hopeful about westbrook.. i hope im wrong though. There's a chance! Also just increasing pace means nothing if scoring efficiency is the same

[@kailencitron6839]

Here are some areas which the nuggets severely lack in and Westbrook brings: vocal leadership, “alpha” personality and mentality, downhill athleticism, bench identity, athleticism, rim pressure, drive and kicks, bench creator, bench distributor, secondary ball handling, bench ball handling, slashing. But do all of these areas make up for his lack of shooting and frequent turnovers? I’d so probably so but nuggets are gonna need shooting elsewhere

[@bossaudio12]

Westbrook isnt moving the needle and is a huge liability in clutch

[@4PF-]

making out that CB is a bad shooter when he’s barely been asked to be a shooter in his 3 year career is just wrong imo, especially when his 3pt percentage was what it was last year

[@MstHatd-yg2kd]

Point guards who can’t shoot are really hard to watch

[@brandnew7907]

I don’t like the notion that when you mention Russ you have to make mention of his flaws as well, this isn’t normally done with any other hall of famer. History indicates that if you lean into his strengths they will outweigh his weaknesses and you will have a successful team so you don’t always have to tie them together. I think people find it convenient to forget that this guy has made it to the finals and multiple conference finals already in his career, this is an already proven player we’re talking about not an assuming prospect.

[@logan-mj3nb]

Russ gets so much hate man

[@jlui21]

-- For only $3.8M, I have no expectations for Westbrick but energy and hustle (in 15mpg).

[@danbobway5656]

Probably because hes a horrible player lol, especially now and he still thinks hes a star, jacking up 3s when he shoots 15%, barely cutting or moving off ball, playing out of control and throwing the ball away randomly because hes out of control when he is on ball, ball watches on defense to pad rebounds, hypes the other team up while playing like shit for example when the clippers versed the timberwolves last year hes making fun of gobert for missing fts as if brick himself doesnt split every ft and hyped them up to come back and spank the clippers, same with hyping luka after playing like shit in the mavs series, luka was playing horrbile for the first 3 or 4 games until brick decided to attack him and hype him up like a moron meanwhile russ went 4-34 LMFAOOOOO, same thing earlier in the season against the mavs when brick and PG blew a 24pt lead to a -5pt no lead IN 2 AND A HALF MINUTES. Hes somehow worse thsn bronny

[@cameronpowe7257]

@@jlui21better career than yo fav pg

[@jlui21]

@@cameronpowe7257 - For $3.8 million, I think it’s well worth it. Heck, he could be worth $10-15M. $45m? Yeah, that’s was awfully bad. Hopefully he does enough damage without being able to shoot.

[@iamkailong]

westbrook doesn’t make Nuggets worse, he is still a positive impact player when used correctly. However, Nuggets is worse than last year. KCP provide everything that Nuggets need. Without him, Nuggets no longer has the best starting 5 in the league, and that’s the last straw.

[@RyanClark-dl3sd]

Someone pitch me some nuggets trades. I don’t really want to break the team up but we could always improve the roster.

[@blicleak1101]

No.

[@strollas]

jokic just wanted to play with an all star for once

[@soogoonu]

I never liked WB as a player but I must say this video made me depreciate him a little less.

[@mrbHanoi]

Still Westbrick

[@Mr_C137]

Ok but can they beat Minnesota’s paint-stifling style in the playoffs?

[@juwanrigby1924]

Not at all Westbrook is getting to old plus. His play style is a liability

[@boibng7861]

The thing is good teams in the playoffs make playing him a liability and build a defensive scheme around Russ being unable to shoot like the mavs did who benefited so much from Russ being on the floor. People say that he can play off ball to make up for it, but he always goes back to jacking up ill-advised shots and generating lots of turnovers. He is just going to be exploited by other good teams in the playoffs. He is a good defender but he isnt super elite or anything, he gambles for steals way to often.

[@sammyslam1]

Was he a liability in the 2022/2023 playoffs when he was playing point guard and had to take on the #1 scoring option? What we are looking for is the normal high level postseason play of the Jokic/Murray duo, combined with having Russ as either a back up pg off the bench(#6 offensive option) or as a postseason starting point guard due to Christian Braun not being dynamic enough(which means Russ as a #3 or #4 scoring option) I think he's a weapon Coach Malone can use.