Russell Westbrook of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on in the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City, January 31, 2023. /CFP
Russell Westbrook has finished a contract buyout with the Utah Jazz and plans to join the Los Angeles Clippers, ESPN reported on Monday.
Westbrook was in the final year of his five-year, $206.8 million deal, and the Los Angeles Lakers sent him to the Jazz in a three-team trade that also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves in early February. He was waived by the Jazz on Monday, according to the NBA.
A nine-time All-Star guard, nine-time All-NBA Teams selection, a two-time scoring champion, Westbrook is playing his 15th season in the league. He was a three-time assists leader and was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2017. Westbrook is also the NBA's all-time triple-doubles leader (198).
Russell Westbrook (#0) of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, February 7, 2023. /CFP
Despite his glorious history, Westbrook didn't have a good time with the Lakers since being traded to the team in 2021. He averaged 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the purple and gold before he was traded. It took both Westbrook and the team more than a season to admit that he and LeBron James are incompatible in the starting lineup, and playing him off the bench does not work either.
Now the question is: Will Westbrook fit coach Tyronn Lue's system in the Clippers? Unlike the Lakers, who have been counting on James to launch the offense with one of the league's worst spacing, the Clippers have much better 3-point shooting abilities and rely on the isolation skills of their forward duo, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and others like Terance Mann and Norman Powell.
The Clippers have been dealing with two major problems on offense: the need for a solid orchestrator and the aggressiveness to charge the rim. They have tried a series of point guards to fix the first problem in recent seasons, including John Wall, who shares a lot in common with Westbrook. But it didn't work out for the Clippers and Wall, who was later traded to the Houston Rockets.
Russell Westbrook (#0) of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianpolis, Indiana, February 2, 2023. /CFP
Like Wall, Westbrook is not a reliable shooter out of the paint. Injuries take away a significant chunk of his athleticism, thus hurting his finishing ability around the rim. Compared with Wall, Westbrook is more passionate about charging the hoop, which grants him a better chance of changing the opponents' defense, especially when he plays off the bench. Westbrook also spares no effort in driving up the space, which can add something new to the Clippers' offense.
Nonetheless, Westbrook can only improve when he makes reasonable decisions, which he is not good at. Though he has to come off the bench in the Lakers this season, he still receives more than 28 minutes on average. The Clippers are unlikely to give him a role as sizable as that. Neither should they put Westbrook in their squad for the clutch time because of his poor shooting ability.