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PLAYA VISTA, CA – The Los Angeles Clippers acquired Russell Westbrook on the buyout market following a busy trade deadline. While many people want to focus on what Westbrook can't do, the Clippers are trying to focus on the things he does well.
A nine-time NBA All-Star, Russell Westbrook's greatest attributes are his downhill attacks, his speed, and the force with which he plays. It may sound a bit cliche, but it's something the Clippers have seriously lacked this season. One of the biggest things Westbrook brings, however, is his availability.
Westbrook played 130 of a possible 137 games with the Lakers over the last two seasons. The Lakers were only 56-74 over those 130 games and were never on pace to make the playoffs, but a lot of that can be attributed to LeBron James and Anthony Davis missing a lot of time due to injuries.
Now, Westbrook is hoping to bring his availability and other strengths to a Clippers team vying for an NBA championship.
“I think like I don't take this game for granted,” Westbrook said of his reason for playing as many games as possible. “It's something that I value, something that I cherish if I'm healthy and able to play I go out and play always.
“When I was younger some people — one of my OGs — told me, ‘You never know who's watching.' I always value the one kid that drove 1,000 miles to come see me play this random night and if I don't play, I feel like I'm letting that one fan down. And I always had that in my mind, if I'm able to play and obviously not hurt or anything, but if I'm able to fight through some some stuff and go out and compete not just for the fans, but for my teammates and organization, I always do so. So always keep that in my mind and find ways to be able to go out to play.
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“You never know who's watching. I always value the one kid that drove 1,000 miles to come see me play this random night and if I don't play you know, I feel like I'm letting that one fan down and I always had that in my mind.”
– Russell Westbrook
pic.twitter.com/yhQHv43UIv— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) February 23, 2023
While the numbers with the Lakers' star trio didn't necessarily look great, there were some intriguing takeaways from the lineups the Lakers played with just James and Westbrook.
In 693 minutes with Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis on the floor together, the Lakers were outscored by 17 points. In 1,427 minutes with James and Westbrook on and Davis off, the Lakers outscored their opponents by 72 points. Not a massive margin by any stretch, but still a positive for someone who has been labeled a complete net negative.
Russell Westbrook is expected to make his Clippers debut on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings. It's unclear whether he'll start or come off the bench, as head coach Tyronn Lue intentionally declined to say. What is important to note, however, is that the Clippers will be without starting center Ivica Zubac, who will miss Friday's game — and possibly even more time — after suffering a right calf strain.
Entering Friday night's game, the Clippers are favored to win over the visiting Sacramento Kings, who will be on the second night of a back-to-back set after playing the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
