Russell Westbrook brings a lot to the table for the Los Angeles Clippers. However, one thing that does not instantly pop out from his glowing resume is his defensive prowess. Russ isn't at all a defensive liability, but he's not exactly a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year either. However, if you look at his Game 1 defensive stats against Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, you might want to think twice about this notion.
Westbrook was an absolute beast on defense when matched up against either Durant or Booker in Game 1. According to the game stats, Russ held Phoenix's Top 2 offensive weapons to a combined six points on 25% shooting when Westbrook was the primary defender on them. It's also not as if KD and Book had off nights either, with the pair combining for 53 out of the Suns' 110 points on the evening.
Kevin Durant dropped a game-high 27 points in this one on 7-of-15 shooting, while Booker went off for 26 points on an efficient 10-of-19 from the floor. The fact that both superstars shot poorly when Westbrook was defending them has to be a testament to Russ' defense.
Westbrook guarded Durant on 19 partial possessions, and KD went 0-of-3 from the floor during this span. Book, on the other hand, went up against Russ on 23 partial possessions, going just 2-of-5.
One might say that this is an anomaly, and we should soon find out in Game 2 on Tuesday. The Clippers may want to exploit this new-found defensive weapon and we will see if Russ is once again able to hold his own against Durant and Booker on the defensive end.
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