The Russell Westbrook experiment has yet to bear any fruit for the Los Angeles Clippers, at least in the win column. Head coach Tyronn Lue opted not to play his new point guard in the fourth quarter and overtime period of the team's loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Many fans were confused as to why Westbrook, who shot the ball well and had 17 points, remained on the bench in favor of both Marcus Morris and Terance Mann. It is not the typical usage expected out of a recent acquisition, especially one that was hyped up like Westbrook. Lue explained his reasoning for leaving the point guard off the court in crunch time.

“Ty Lue said he'd kept Russell Westbrook out in the 4th and OT because he felt the team had caught a good rhythm and wanted to keep it rolling,” Andrew Greif of The L.A. Times said. “He said he could have played Russ more.”

The Clippers did roar back from a double-digit deficit with the rotation on the floor before getting bombarded in OT, so Lue's thought process is reasonable. However, the last part of his response is quite alarming given proper context. In Friday night's devastating 175-176 double overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, he leaned on Westbrook and then admitted he could have played Mann more. That is quite the two-day switcheroo.

The coach's flip-flopping and inconsistent minute allocation is a reflection of the Clippers' deep roster, but it is also a potential sign Lue could be managing his team with a bit more spontaneity than fans would prefer. Stability is always welcomed around this time of the season. With new additions and plenty of capable role players, though, the NBA champion might be mixing and matching in the games to come.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Mavericks' Kyrie Irving, Mavericks' Jason Kidd both in front. Mavericks and Clippers logos in background.

Joey Mistretta ·

Clippers Kawhi Leonard with speech bubble "I'm back" with Mavericks Luka Doncic smaller in background.

Tomer Azarly ·

Paul George, James Harden and LA Clippers logo, basketball court in background

Diego Vergel de Dios ·

Back-to-back defeats that could have easily been victories will naturally begin to shine a negative spotlight on Westbrook, fair or not. LA needs to focus on the big picture, though, which is figuring out how to close games against marquee competition in the Western Conference.

Lue will have to decide if Westbrook is going to be a part of that mission.