Russell Westbrook will begin the latest chapter of his illustrious 17-year career when the NBA season resumes in about two months. The nine-time All-Star agreed to a deal with the Denver Nuggets for two years, $6.8 million on July 26. He had been waived by the Utah Jazz on July 20 after being traded there by the Los Angeles Clippers. He is scheduled to face the team that drafted him in the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team he was on for 11 years. Westbrook could impact the title race on his return to Oklahoma.
Could Westbrook Impact Title Race In His Return To Oklahoma?
The nine-time All-NBA recipient, now on the sixth team of his career, is in a unique situation even by his standards. Westbrook has played with multiple future Hall of Famers like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard. Still, Nikola Jokić is the first MVP center he will play with. Sorry to Anthony Davis, but despite his impressive résumé, he hasn’t won the award.
Jokić and the Nuggets couldn’t defend their first-ever championship last season. They lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-3 in the second round of the playoffs in an evenly contested series. Ultimately, what cost them against the Wolves was a lack of consistent scoring off the bench. The only team whose bench scored fewer points (14.8) in the playoffs was the Lakers. The Nuggets hope that signing Westbrook will solve some of these issues.
Westbrook had a renaissance of sorts on the Clippers. After enduring a difficult tenure starting for the Lakers, he found a role off the bench for their city rivals. The 2016-17 MVP winner had the most efficient period of his career (.eFG of 50.1% over 89 games) despite averaging the fewest points of his career.
Westbrook has always been a player who thrives in chaos. At the height of his powers, he could influence a team’s trajectory for the season. Now, he can influence games. He could fill an important role off the bench for the Nuggets as a spark plug. They ranked 25th in the league in bench points (29.4).
Return to Oklahoma
The Thunder traded Westbrook back in 2019. That marked the end of a competitive era and signaled a new beginning for the franchise. That rebuild culminated in last year’s 57-win team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder became the youngest first seed in history. The team also swept a series 4-0 in the playoffs for only the second time ever. Ultimately, they would lose a highly competitive, close series to the Mavericks. Following a productive offseason that saw them add Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, the Thunder are favorites to come out of the West.
Although the Westbrook trade is in the past and the future Hall of Fame point guard prepares to play for the Nuggets, his return to Bricktown remains a highly anticipated event. The welcome he receives is always enthusiastic and affectionate.
However, his visit with the Nuggets brings some unusual circumstances. Oklahoma City will host its divisional rivals on March 4 and 5 for the last two games of the season series. The series will begin with the Nuggets hosting the first two games on October 24 and November 6 in the Mile High City.
The March back-to-back games in Oklahoma City are crucial for both teams as they compete in what should be a tight Western Conference standings. The games will be challenging, with the first tipping off at noon and the second returning to the usual 7 PM local start time.
Whenever these two teams meet, it’s must-watch TV, and every time Westbrook returns to Oklahoma City, it’s a significant event. However, this unique back-to-back series between contenders could be pivotal in determining who secures the top seed in the West.
