Unlike the contentious departures of Kevin Durant in 2016 or James Harden in 2013, Russell Westbrook`s exit from Oklahoma City didn`t leave lingering resentment. Though he initiated the move privately, the separation wasn`t messy from the town`s perspective.
This goodwill was evident in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. When Westbrook checked in during the first quarter, as the current Thunder MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was being cheered at the free-throw line, the home crowd shifted their focus, rising to applaud their former star.
Much to the Thunder fans` chagrin, this moment seemed to ignite Westbrook, who delivered several crucial plays late in the game as the Nuggets overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. The most significant play came in the final seconds.
With just over eight seconds remaining and Denver trailing 119-118, Nuggets guard Christian Braun grabbed a rebound on the right wing and instantly threw an outlet pass to Westbrook, who was racing down the right sideline with his characteristic explosive speed.
In a scenario that seemed predetermined by fate, Westbrook faced a game-deciding decision with the outcome hanging in the balance. Everyone in the arena expected him to drive aggressively into the Thunder defense to attempt a potential game-winning shot. Both the Nuggets and the Thunder had witnessed this from him before, with varying degrees of success.
Thunder center Chet Holmgren even sagged back, hoping to force Westbrook into a difficult choice: either drive directly into the big man or pull up for a potentially contested three-pointer. It was a clear challenge, and Westbrook is known for confronting challenges head-on.
Denver`s own broadcast team also anticipated Westbrook would be unable to resist taking the shot himself. In a mere three seconds, the Altitude Sports studio captured the full spectrum of the Russell Westbrook experience.
With 7.2 seconds left, Westbrook received the pass from Braun and accelerated, first towards Thunder forward Jalen Williams, then towards the formidable rim protector Holmgren.
“No, no, no. No! Noooo!” cried the broadcasters.
“Oh, geez!” came another voice.
Then, mouths agape, they stared in astonishment at the screen. Westbrook didn`t barrel into the 7-footer risking a turnover or a poor shot. Nor did he stop for his own pull-up jumper from beyond the arc.
Instead, he delivered a flawless pass to an open Aaron Gordon on the left wing. With 2.8 seconds remaining, Gordon drained a 25-foot shot, giving the Nuggets an improbable 121-119 lead.
Following the game, Westbrook explained his rationale. “I saw Chet in the paint, and my job is to drive and kick,” he stated. “AG was ready to shoot it. He`s been knocking down big shots all year long.”
It remains uncertain whether this display of decision-making was a singular event or indicative of genuine growth. This Nuggets team has already achieved a championship, a goal Westbrook is still pursuing. On nights like this, there`s a sense that the championship experience is positively influencing Westbrook. On other nights, that influence seems entirely absent.
“This is a veteran group, guys have been here before,” Westbrook commented. “It`s incredibly helpful when your brother supports you. I believe we did a great job of backing each other up through all the ups and downs, good calls, bad calls, missed shots, turnovers.”
In many respects, Westbrook`s journey with the Nuggets mirrors the team`s 2024-25 season – characterized by extreme fluctuations: the game-winning bursts of energy, effective two-man plays with Nikola Jokic, impressive rebounds and defensive efforts, juxtaposed with inexplicable lows: missed layups, poor shooting, questionable decision-making, perceived lack of accountability, and disruptions to the previously harmonious team culture.
The Nuggets themselves acknowledge the uncertainty of how this experiment will conclude. Yet, their aspirations for success might ultimately depend on managing the NBA`s most high-variance and volatile player.
Closing your eyes and watching Westbrook warm up hours before Games 1 and 2 at the Paycom Center could transport you back in time. The 36-year-old Westbrook still possesses the sculpted physique of his prime at 30, when he electrified this arena during his dominant years. His meticulously planned warm-up routine still starts and finishes at precisely the same times. The only change is warming up at the opposite basket and sprinting to a different hallway after his final corner shot.
He allows himself two attempts at that corner shot. If he makes the first or second, he sprints off content. If he misses both, he still sprints into the hallway, perhaps slightly less pleased. For him, routine appears to take precedence over immediate results.
He has returned to Oklahoma City as an opponent with various teams, but this time feels distinct. Perhaps it`s because their beloved former player now stands in the path of the promising new team that has emerged in his wake. Perhaps it`s because he`s older, and since choosing to leave in 2019, he hasn`t found a team environment that cherished him as OKC did.
The narrative of how Westbrook joined the Denver Nuggets isn`t straightforward. It wasn`t merely a final stop for a veteran nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career, nor was it a whimsical idea from the mind of basketball genius Nikola Jokic.
The Nuggets had been interested in Westbrook for several years before finally signing him as a free agent last offseason, after the LA Clippers, like previous teams, decided the complete Westbrook experience wasn`t worth the complexities. They had considered signing him after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Utah Jazz in February 2023, where he was subsequently bought out. Some within the Nuggets organization, sources indicated, felt their diligent, highly skilled, but somewhat reserved group of players needed someone with “some spice,” as team president Josh Kroenke described Westbrook, to overcome the playoff barriers they kept encountering.
No player in the league can inject the unique energy into his team that Westbrook can, but effectively harnessing it remains a significant challenge.
Despite the challenge, the idea remained appealing to the Nuggets because they believed Jokic was the world`s best player and entering his prime at age 30, recognizing that a championship window can close rapidly if a team repeatedly fails to break through.
Ultimately, the Nuggets initially decided against signing him, sources said, due to concerns that Westbrook might destabilize the locker room and undermine the confidence of point guard Jamal Murray. That decision proved astute, as the Nuggets won their first championship a few months later.
However, the subsequent offseason was different. They did not successfully defend their title, regressing and losing again in the second round. Key role players departed in free agency, and the younger players expected to replace them developed slowly. The team felt this regression couldn`t be repeated, especially with Jokic performing at an even higher level in his current season.
So, the Nuggets proceeded with the signing, fully aware that Westbrook is essentially a walking list of pros and cons. On the positive side: he is intense, focused, consistently competitive, and reliable in terms of availability. On the negative side: he can be moody, unpredictable on the court, inflexible, and immature when things don`t go his way.
All of these traits have manifested throughout this season. At times, Westbrook has been precisely what the Nuggets needed; at other times, he has contributed to their difficulties. He has, single-handedly, both won and lost games for them. He has inspired both strong loyalty and significant frustration among teammates, sometimes concurrently.
They are acutely aware of the difficulty in relying on such an unpredictable player – and he might be, too.
“My ability to be a force of nature on the floor is what I take pride in,” Westbrook stated after helping the Nuggets close out the Clippers in Game 7 of their first-round series. “Whatever that looks like – it could be a turnover, a missed shot, a steal, a dunk, a missed three, a made three – it`s going to be all of that. You accept it as it comes, and whatever happens, you go with it. I`ve always been that way.”
On April 1st, the Nuggets experienced nearly the full spectrum of this in a mere 15 seconds. With 14.2 seconds remaining in double overtime, the Nuggets held a 139-138 lead. Westbrook intercepted a pass from Anthony Edwards and raced up the court with an opportunity to secure the victory in a game where Jokic had recorded a 60-point triple-double. However, Westbrook missed a point-blank layup, crucially leaving time on the clock for another Timberwolves possession.
On the subsequent play, Westbrook lagged defensively and failed to notice an open Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the corner. Sprinting to recover, he fouled Alexander-Walker as he was shooting. Alexander-Walker made all three free throws, swinging the game to Minnesota. It was a painful loss, and Westbrook did not publicly address his role in it for several days.
Eight days later, interim coach David Adelman demonstrated a more assertive approach to managing Westbrook. Former coach Mike Malone, multiple sources reported, had erred by granting Westbrook the same level of latitude on and off the court as Jokic and Murray, which did not sit well with everyone. Ironically, this was why Westbrook wasn`t present when Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were both fired and Adelman was appointed interim coach with only three games remaining in the regular season.
Westbrook had been granted permission to spend the off day at home with his family in Los Angeles. This led to a discussion among Nuggets decision-makers about whether he should be asked to return to Denver to be with the team during its regrouping or if he should meet them as previously planned in Sacramento the following day. Ultimately, he joined them in Sacramento.
In Adelman`s very first game as coach, after Westbrook missed a three-pointer, a short jumper, and a layup on three consecutive possessions early in the fourth quarter, Adelman substituted him for second-year point guard Jalen Pickett. Pickett played the remainder of the crucial minutes as Denver managed to end a four-game losing streak. Westbrook finished with a season-low 17 minutes, and the message was clearly delivered.
The unpredictable journey continued into the early part of the playoffs. After a loss in the first round where Westbrook visibly displayed frustration upon being substituted at the end of the game, one player told ESPN, “It`s crazy. [He`s] changed the entire vibe and spirit of our team.” Yet, after another game, an assistant coach remarked to ESPN, “Russ was competing his ass off. I can`t believe he`s still doing this in Year 17. I wish we had 10 of him.”
Minutes after the Nuggets lost Game 2 of their first-round series against the Clippers, Adelman faced another issue. While he was addressing the media after the game, a heated exchange occurred between Westbrook and Gordon in the locker room, multiple sources reported. Gordon had challenged Westbrook about his attitude. Outside the locker room, one player explained Gordon`s likely motivation, stating of Westbrook, “He`s so immature.”
Their season was on the brink, nearing a chaotic and dysfunctional end following the tumultuous decision to fire Malone and Booth with only three games left in the regular season. Instead, that moment seemed to mark the beginning of a turnaround.
The Nuggets proceeded to win three of their next four games, eliminating the Clippers, including a dominant Game 7 victory. In that decisive game, Westbrook contributed 16 points on efficient shooting, along with rebounds, assists, and steals. During the pivotal second quarter, when Denver outscored LA significantly, Westbrook played the entire 12 minutes, scoring 10 points efficiently, adding rebounds, assists, and steals.
“The great thing about this team is we`re not afraid to talk honestly with each other,” one player told ESPN regarding the Game 2 argument, “and hold each other accountable.” This is the kind of statement made when a team is winning. And currently, Westbrook and the Nuggets are locked in an intense battle with the previously dominant Thunder. Each game feels like a significant chapter. Legs are weary for most players – except for the one who still seems to possess boundless energy.
“We`ve turned the page throughout the year,” Westbrook said after the Game 1 win against the Thunder. “There have been ups and downs, but we`ve done well in focusing on mistakes and owning them. Addressing them and communicating. If you aim for a deep playoff run, I believe you must be honest with each other.” These are not sentiments Westbrook has commonly expressed before.
In many ways, his greatest strength is also his weakness – his unwavering nature, regardless of pressure or circumstance. He seemingly dismisses the concept of compromise, having nearly played himself out of the league rather than accept a bench role with the Lakers, a stance that even led his former agent to sever ties.
“I can`t see another team doing it,” one team source remarked about the Nuggets` signing of Westbrook, after his unceremonious endings with his previous four teams, “but I never thought we would either.” What is undeniable, however, is that in the context of their situation, they felt they had no other viable option. And they would not be in their current position without him.
