Russell Westbrook looks to be positive force with Clippers
Westbrook exceeded the Clippers’ expectations after signing with the team during the All-Star break last season. But now that he looks more comfortable and happier with his new team, the point guard has been establishing himself as a leader entering his first full season as a Clipper.
Naturally, Westbrook has been fielding questions about whether he will return to playing more like himself than he did during his difficult season-and-a-half with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Before joining the Lakers, Westbrook averaged a triple-double of 22.2 points, 11.7 assists and 11.5 rebounds in 2020-21 with the Washington Wizards. Those numbers dipped to 17.4 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 29.7% from behind the arc in 130 games with the Lakers.
“I think it is always an interesting question for me,” Westbrook said before Clippers practice on Monday. “Because I always tell people, everybody has their own representation of what is me getting back to me. And for me, I’m the only one that can set that table. Nobody else outside of myself can tell me [what is] getting back to yourself. Getting back to myself would be averaging 21, 11 and 12, which hasn’t been done in I don’t [know how] many years.
“So if somebody tells me, ‘Well, you’re not like yourself, you ain’t [averaging this],’ well, f—, ain’t too many people did that but myself and somebody else. And I’m the only one that did it four times. So I personally [am] only the one that makes the expectation… I’m the only one [that] can set that bar.”
After the Lakers traded Westbrook to the Utah Jazz, he signed with the Clippers. Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds and fit in well under coach Ty Lue, who set parameters for Westbrook to operate with. When Paul George suffered a sprained knee that knocked him out in late March, Westbrook picked up the load and made critical plays late in Game 1 to help the Clippers take the opening game of their first-round series against Phoenix. He also scored 37 points in a Game 4 with both George and Kawhi Leonard out.
“Instantly,” Lue said of how long it took for Westbrook to become a vocal leader for the Clippers. “That’s who he is, a big personality and we need that. The younger guys need to see that and the way he approaches every single day, every practice, every shootaround, every game, it’s the same intensity. He’s definitely come in and been very vocal.”
This preseason, Westbrook’s positive attitude and leadership have been noticeable. Asked if the point guard has been the most vocal presence in camp so far, Kenyon Martin Jr. didn’t hesitate.
“For sure,” the Clippers forward said. “For sure by far.”
Westbrook said he has spent camp talking to his teammates on and off the court to learn as much as he can about them and forge a bond. During his Lakers tenure, Westbrook bore the brunt of much of the criticism when he, LeBron James and Anthony Davis failed to become the trio that they thought they could be.
With the Clippers, Westbrook has visibly been happier. But he said he has no problem shouldering any criticism if it takes pressure off the franchise’s two stars Leonard and George.
“When I’m playing, let me make sure I can make the game as easy as possible,” Westbrook said. “I take all the bullets for anybody. I take all the heat. I don’t really give a damn because I know what’s important to my teammates and to me that’s the most important part.
“If that’s the case, I will do so,” Westbrook added of taking on criticism for the team. “I will cover and make sure that I take all the heat. I will never point a finger at anybody about anything because I will own things. Even if it’s not my fault, I’m OK with it.”
As for getting back to playing more like his old self now that he has found a home with the Clippers, Westbrook said that’s a very high standard.
“The bar is 30-11,” Westbrook said of when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists with the Thunder in 2016-17. “That’s the bar when I won MVP. But honestly, even then, I didn’t even know I could do that. I just was playing and I’m blessed and thankful that happened. And then once it happened, I was like, ‘OK, well, let’s do it again.’ So I did it [average a triple-double] the next year. ‘OK, well let’s try it again.’ So I did it again.
“I just play and try to play the right way. Yes, it hasn’t resulted in rings, it hasn’t resulted in things that people feel that’s important. But I strive to be the best I can be, lay it all on the line. If everything’s aligned, I have an opportunity to be able to win the championship, then cool. If I don’t, then that’s cool too. As long as I lay it on the line and exceed my own personal expectations, I’m OK.”