The Washington Wizards are certainly happy to get Russell Westbrook by trading John Wall to the Houston Rockets. Even so, the Capital City team is going to take precautions with Westbrook to keep him healthy throughout the 2020-21 season.
Per Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Wizards won't look to play the former MVP in back-to-back games in the slightly shortened season:
Scott Brooks says Russell Westbrook probably won’t play both games of back-to-backs this year. Houston did the same thing with him last year.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 13, 2020
As Katz noted, it was the case often times for Russell Westbrook with the Houston Rockets in 2019-20.
Article Continues BelowWhile he hasn't had any serious injuries for quite some time, Washington will continue to play the safe side when it comes to the explosive guard's injury proneness. He's had a plethora of knee surgeries in the past when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is why the Wizards are in no rush to push him in playing back-to-back games.
Westbrook was traded to the Wizards after his displeasure with the Rockets boiled over into the offseason. His thoughts on the organization have been apparently similar to those of James Harden, who has also reportedly requested a trade from the Rockets.
There've been a number of reasons reported as to why Westbrook wanted out of Houston, with the primary one being that he wanted to get back to his ball-handling duties that he owned with the Thunder. Another noteworthy reason was the organization's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Westbrook's first action with the Wizards won't come on Sunday night, unfortunately, as they take on the Brooklyn Nets. Head coach Scott Brooks has elected to rest both Bradley Beal and Westbrook for the night.