Russell Westbrook, despite all the criticisms he has received throughout his career, almost always tends to make a positive impact on his teammates. Throughout his stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers, his teammates have had nothing but good things to say. Included among those the former league MVP has helped is Wizards forward Deni Avdija, whom he spent one full season with back in the 2020-21 campaign.

It's clear that Westbrook and Avdija remain in excellent terms with one another. Following the Clippers' 125-109 trouncing of the Wizards on Wednesday night, Avdija sought Westbrook out on the LA bench and shared an embrace with the man who helped him acclimate to the NBA in his rookie campaign.

Via Neil Dalal of Hoop District:

Back in 2020, both Russell Westbrook and Deni Avdija were in their first season with the Wizards. (That would also be Westbrook's last.) And Avdija, being the ninth overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, had Westbrook as his veteran mentor. That setup could not have worked out any better for the Wizards forward, as he was able to learn the determination, work ethic, and professionalism that one must have to excel in the league.

Last season, when Avdija's Wizards lost in blowout fashion to Westbrook's Lakers, the 2017 NBA MVP made sure to share some words of encouragement for the young, versatile forward after a putrid shooting night. This underscores the healthy mentor-mentee dynamic the two have that remains valuable to the 23-year old forward even though it's the third season since Westbrook's departure from the nation's capital.

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“He really took care of me. He really cared about my success, and he wanted me to be mentally tough. When he sees me now, every time he sees me, he gives me advice after the game or something that I need to do better, and I love it. He always has a lot of effect (on me) because he was my first veteran that I met when I came to the league,” Avdija said back in 2022, per Josh Robbins and Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Here we can truly see just how good of a person Russell Westbrook is off the court, contrary to the reputation he has among plenty of critics.