Russell Westbrook addresses free agency rumors

“When I’m on the floor, I’m able to do other things,” Westbrook said. “Defend at a high level, which I think I’ve been doing pretty much better than anybody in the league this year.” The move has allowed Harden, who now ranks fourth in the league with 8.6 assists per game, to handle more of the playmaking role for the Clippers. “Credit to him,” Harden told ESPN. “At this point, it’s whatever it takes for us to all be winners. … He was the one that initiated the sacrifice and then from there, it’s like, OK, now it’s going to be more my role to be on the ball and kind of run the offense. “[Westbrook’s move was] huge. That was the start of it.” -via ESPN / April 10, 2024

When it comes to figuring out how, George and Clippers coach Ty Lue said the team should look no further than Westbrook’s move to the second unit. “We owed it to him to make it work,” George told ESPN. “All of us collectively, we know what sacrifice looks like now.” Having started 1,039 regular-season games, Westbrook has found ways this season to make an impact off the bench. He has been among the league’s top defenders and continues to be the only player to average 10 points, five rebounds and five assists off the bench in his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. While neither Lue nor Westbrook initially knew how the role would play out, the former MVP remained supremely confident that no one can do what he does. “Ain’t nobody better than me coming off the bench, in this league,” Westbrook said. -via ESPN / April 10, 2024

Westbrook’s first full season with the Clippers has hardly gone as he expected. He began the season as the starting point guard but the late-October trade for Harden led to Westbrook becoming a sixth man for his second straight team. But unlike during his brief tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, Westbrook’s move to the bench this season was the catalyst for the Clippers’ best regular season in the Leonard-George era. “I know who I am and what I’m able to bring to the game,” Westbrook told ESPN. “Nobody’s able to do what I can do since I got in this league. And the reason why I’m in the position I’m in is because nobody ever knew I could do [it on a] night-in and night-out basis.” -via ESPN / April 10, 2024