After losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets have had a rough offseason. They lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency, and rookie big man Daron Holmes ruptured his Achilles tendon during Summer League play. Denver's only major signing in free agency was Dario Saric, who will come off the bench and back up Nikola Jokic. Well, Saric was their only major signing until the Los Angeles Clippers traded Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Utah is expected to agree on a contract buyout with Westbrook, and then the veteran guard is expected to sign with the Nuggets. The deal is part of a sign-and-trade that sent Kris Dunn to Los Angeles in a sign and trade and, more importantly, brings together a historic tandem in Jokic and Westbrook.
More importantly, in the eyes of some, bringing in Westbrook gives Denver's bench an identity that it has lacked since winning the 2023 NBA title.
“The Nuggets are banking on our bench needs an identity, this is our shot at an identity,” said Zach Lowe on The Lowe Post. “Just rampaging, crazy, phonetic, fast-paced. I just don’t really believe, I have to think about it more, but at this stage of his career it’s kind of a long shot, but Jokic wanted him. I think anyone can play with Jokic, and Russ in parts of his career was a very good cutter, in transition, it could be kind of interesting. Backup point guard is kind of an interesting little weak spot for the Nuggets.”
While he's past his All-Star and MVP-winning days, Westbrook did show value as a scorer and facilitator off the bench this past season with the Clippers. His defensive effort was also necessary in the second unit with Los Angeles. As a veteran leader, he can help push and maximize opportunities for Denver's younger bench mob.
What to expect with Russell Westbrook off the bench in Denver
Although he's long in the tooth, Westbrook can still steal stretches and, by extension, games through sheer energy whenever he's on the floor. Although that can be a bit of a double-edged sword, Westbrook's volatility will cause the Nuggets to lose games because of his aggressiveness. It is going to win games because of it, as well.
The natural chaos of Westbrook's game will help maximize the younger players coming off the bench with him since those youngsters will be the backbone of Denver's bench. It's going to be an adjustment for them. But with how dynamic the guard play can be with Westbrook on the floor, it's a gamble worth taking, especially if the Nuggets can harness his chaos to fuel another title run.
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