The Los Angeles Clippers had a huge problem on their hands.
James Harden’s arrival changed everything, and while the potential is obviously quite good, they’ve looked terrible thus far.
The Clippers are giving up size and their offense has been inefficient with him and Russell Westbrook on the court at the same time.
With that in mind, Westbrook decided to be the bigger man and reportedly told Tyronn Lue that he wanted to come off the bench for them (via Chris Haynes and NBA Central).
Needless to say, this speaks volumes of Westbrook’s leadership and how invested he is in the organization, which is why dozens of fans took to Twitter to congratulate him and praise him for this initiative.
Love this from him. He’s been playing well since he left the Lakers
— Samii (@samiichels) November 17, 2023
This is why Russell Westbrook is the best player in the Clippers, not joking.
— BullsMuse (@BullsMuse_) November 17, 2023
That’s a true leader
— japta (@DubsBetterrrr) November 17, 2023
My respect for Russ has gone up so much this is what a team player looks like
— Dani (@Danizeh) November 17, 2023
THIS IS THE MAN YALL HATED ON?! 🤩
— Revengeful (Justin) (@Revngeful) November 17, 2023
Taking a backseat when you clearly aren’t the problem.. that’s a real teammate
— TB 🛸 (@TrillBucketss) November 17, 2023
Smart move. Probably won’t matter tho, harden ruined them
— Emo Jimmy (@WheelerJaylen) November 17, 2023
Westbrook has never been the kind of player who’ll just stand in the corner while other guys dribble out the clock.
That’s not his game, and that’s not the way to make the most of his talents.
Westbrook had already agreed to come off the bench earlier in his career, and knowing Harden for years, the chance is that he realized that Harden would never be okay with not being a starter.
Having Westbrook leading the second unit gives Tyronn Lue the chance to have at least two of their star players on the court at all times.
The Clippers have dropped six straight games, five of them with Harden as the primary ball-handler.
Someone needed to change, and Westbrook just made Tyronn Lue’s life a lot easier by making that decision for him.
It was the only way.
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