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Russell Westbrook of the LA Clippers is already in midseason mode, playing his heart out in preseason ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season. Westbrook turned on the jets midway through the second quarter on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets.
With around seven minutes left in the first half, Westbrook got the long rebound following a miss from Reggie Jackson. The former MVP ran as if it was a close playoff game even though it's just the Clippers' third preseason outing.
Westbrook went coast-to-coast for a classic easy finish to give his team a one-point lead. It's great to see the 34-year-old veteran still have the quickness to run from one end to the other before going up against several defenders.
Here's the video:
Russell Westbrook found his groove back with the LA Clippers following a nightmare stint with the LA Lakers. Westbrook signed for the Clippers after the Utah Jazz waived him. The Lakers had initially traded him to the Jazz, which improved the team's roster.
Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 21 games for the Clippers. He shot much better at 48.9% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc compared to his Lakers numbers of 41.7% and 29.6%, respectively.
The nine-time NBA All-Star was even better in the playoffs, averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks in five games against the Phoenix Suns.
Westbrook's shooting suffered, as he became the No. 1 option, with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard missing from games three to five.
Kenyon Martin rips ESPN for ranking Russell Westbrook at No. 94
ESPN recently released their Top 100 NBA players list, where former league MVP Russell Westbrook was only ranked 94th.
Former NBA player Kenyon Martin called out the network for their laughable rankings.
"Show me f*cking 93 other people better than Russell Westbrook in the NBA," Martin said.
"You got two people on the list that ain't played one f*cking NBA minute. How the f*ck are they better than Russ? You f*cking idiots over there doing this bullsh*t."
It's understandable why Russell Westbrook had a huge drop-off in the last two years. However, many current and former NBA players have defended Westbrook and explained that it was all about the situation.
Westbrook struggled with the LA Lakers, as he didn't fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Coach Frank Vogel didn't know how to use him properly, while Darvin Ham brought out the best in him as a sixth man.
