One of the bigger storylines still remaining this NBA offseason regards the future of future Hall of Fame point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has yet to sign with a team after spending last season with the Denver Nuggets, which turned out to be a mixed bag of a tenure for the former MVP.
Recently, Westbrook took to his Instagram account to post a video of himself playing basketball on a large yacht.
https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1960386456813211954
The video may or may not have been a reference to NBA legend Magic Johnson's viral video of himself running on a treadmill aboard an even bigger yacht.
Work ethic has never been a concern for Westbrook throughout his nearly two-decade career, so it's certainly no surprise to see him continuing to keep himself in shape as he waits for a call from an NBA team.
Can Russell Westbrook still contribute?
Russell Westbrook had some legitimately good moments last year for the Nuggets, including some in the playoffs, especially in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers, a series that Denver won in seven games.
However, when things went south, they went to Antarctica. There was one notable sequence that stands out in particular during a late-season game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets got the ball, with the lead, and the ability to wait for Minnesota to foul them with just seconds remaining in the contest. Instead, Westbrook opted to take a layup, which he missed, and then proceeded to foul Timberwolves three-point shooter Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the other end, which gave the Timberwolves free throws which they used to win the game.
Westbrook's decision making has always been a point of concern throughout his career, but now that his athleticism and bounce have diminished significantly, it significantly hampers the value he can bring to a team at this stage of his career.
Still, it's possible that a team could see Westbrook as a viable candidate to come and eat minutes off the bench, or step in to a starting role when their starting point guard is out.
