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If you can't handle him at his worst, then you don't deserve him at his best; this is the battle cry Russell Westbrook's fans have had for the future Hall of Famer over the years. And there's nothing that encapsulates the chaos factor that Westbrook brings to the table more than Game 1 of the Denver Nuggets' first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers, when he virtually sealed the Nuggets' 112-110 victory in overtime with a clutch inbounds deflection that ricocheted off of his former teammate, James Harden.
At this point of Westbrook's career, there is no telling which version of him shows up on a given night. He can have putrid shooting nights that make it impossible for his team to climb out of a hole and he sometimes makes poor decisions at the most inopportune moments, but one thing's for sure: he leaves it all on the line in every second he spends on the court, and to his credit, he is relishing the opportunity to play the disruptor role for the Nuggets.
“My job is to find a way to f*ck sh*t up,” Westbrook said following the Nuggets' Game 1 win, via Jake Shapiro of Denver Sports 104.3.
Russell Westbrook on his role on defense against the Clippers “to fuck shit up” pic.twitter.com/p4tL4DnGsi
— Jake Shapiro (@Shapalicious) April 19, 2025
Westbrook is no longer the superstar-caliber player he once was, and there's a bit of an acknowledgment from him these past few seasons of the current limitations of his game. But he makes up for it with his relentlessness on the glass, that never-say-die attitude, and that unflinching willingness to get down and do the dirty work for the Nuggets.
It's safe to say that the Nuggets would not have won Game 1 if Westbrook wasn't around to soak up the Michael Porter Jr. minutes. But as is the case with Westbrook, there is no telling what sort of impact he'll be having in Game 2 on Monday night.
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Russell Westbrook is the Nuggets' ultimate wildcard
Russell Westbrook has earned a reputation for being one of the most volatile players in the association; one night he can do no wrong, and the other, he can do no right. And the Nuggets are hoping that more things break the right way for Westbrook, as he can be such an electric defensive presence, a pest on the glass, and an emotional leader his team can rally around when he's at his best.
This series against the Clippers might be personal to Westbrook as well; his stock dropped precipitously after last year's playoffs, and he'll be playing like he has a point to prove for the rest of what should be a delightfully hard-fought series.
