RUSSELL WESTBROOK`S DEPARTURE from Oklahoma City doesn`t evoke the same resentment among the local fans as the exits of Kevin Durant in 2016 or James Harden in 2013 did. Those were messy breakups. Westbrook`s, despite him initiating it behind the scenes, was handled with less acrimony.
Consequently, when he entered Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals with 5:17 remaining in the first quarter, while the current Thunder MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was receiving MVP chants at the free-throw line, the home crowd paused their support for their new star to give a standing ovation to their former one.
To the chagrin of the Thunder faithful, this moment seemed to ignite Westbrook, who delivered several crucial plays during the Nuggets` rally from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. His most significant contribution came in the game`s decisive moments.
With just over eight seconds left and Denver trailing 119-118, Nuggets guard Christian Braun secured a rebound on the right wing and immediately fired an outlet pass to Westbrook. Westbrook was sprinting down the right sideline at a speed that appears uniquely his.
In a twist of fate, with the game hanging in the balance, Westbrook faced a critical decision. Everyone in the arena anticipated him driving hard into the heart of the Thunder defense to attempt a potential game-winning shot. Both the Nuggets and the Thunder had seen this play from him before, with varying outcomes.
Thunder center Chet Holmgren even dropped back, hoping to present Westbrook with a lose-lose scenario: either driving directly into the defense or settling for a contested 3-pointer. It was a direct challenge, and Westbrook is not one to shy away from challenges.
Even the Denver broadcast team couldn`t imagine Westbrook resisting the urge to drive. Within approximately three seconds, from their Altitude Sports studio, they captured the essence of the Russell Westbrook experience.
With 7.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, 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!`
`Oh, geez!`
Then, with astonishment etched on their faces, they stared at the studio monitor. Westbrook did not drive into the 7-footer, risking a turnover or a poor shot. Nor did he pull up for his own shot from beyond the arc.
Instead, he delivered a perfect pass to an open Aaron Gordon on the left wing. With just 2.8 seconds left, Gordon`s 25-foot shot rattled in, giving the Nuggets an improbable 121-119 lead.
Following the game, Westbrook explained his rationale. “I saw Chet in the paint, and my role is to drive and kick,” he stated. “AG was prepared to shoot. He`s been hitting big shots for us all season.”
It`s difficult to determine whether this instance of astute decision-making is an isolated occurrence or a sign of genuine growth. This Nuggets team has already achieved a championship, something Westbrook is still pursuing. On nights like this, it feels as though their championship pedigree is influencing Westbrook. On others, it seems to have no effect.
“This is a veteran squad; guys have been in these situations before,” Westbrook commented. “It`s extremely beneficial to have your teammates supporting you. I believe we did well in supporting each other through all the highs and lows, the favorable and unfavorable calls, the missed shots, and the turnovers.”
In many respects, Westbrook`s tenure mirrors the journey of the 2024-25 Nuggets – marked by extreme peaks: game-winning energy bursts, moments of unstoppable two-man synergy with Nikola Jokic, incredible rebounds, and defensive plays; contrasted with inexplicable valleys: missed layups, poor shooting performances, even worse decision-making, a perceived lack of accountability, and disruption to the Nuggets` previously stable locker room atmosphere.
The Nuggets themselves are uncertain how this experiment will ultimately conclude. However, their championship aspirations may well depend on the performance of the league`s most high-variance, volatile player.
CLOSING YOUR EYES and observing Westbrook`s warmup on the Paycom Center court, a full three hours before Games 1 and 2 of this second-round series, could easily feel like a step back in time.
At 36, Westbrook still appears physically like his prime, 30-year-old self, who often electrified this arena during his peak years. His physique remains sculpted; his meticulously timed warmup begins and ends at precisely the same moments it always did.
The sole difference, of course, was that he was warming up on the opposite end of the court and jogging towards the opposing tunnel after taking his final shot from the baseline corner.
Westbrook allows himself two attempts to make that corner shot. If he makes the first, he sprints off happily. The same applies if he makes the second. But even if he misses both, he still sprints towards the tunnel, perhaps slightly less pleased. In this instance, the ritual holds more importance than the immediate outcome.
He had previously returned to Oklahoma City as a visiting player with the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, and Clippers. Yet, this occasion felt distinct. Perhaps it`s because their beloved former star now stands in the path of the next great team that emerged after his departure. Perhaps it`s because he`s older now and hasn`t found a place that embraced him as much as OKC did since he chose to leave in 2019.
The narrative surrounding Westbrook`s arrival with the Denver Nuggets isn`t what many might assume. This wasn`t merely a late-career stop on a journey through various teams. Nor was it a whimsical idea from the mind of Nikola Jokic, basketball`s enigmatic genius.
The Nuggets had quietly sought Westbrook for several years before eventually signing him as a free agent this past offseason, after the LA Clippers, like many teams before them, concluded that the full “Westbrook experience” was no longer worth the cost.
They considered acquiring him after the Los Angeles Lakers traded him to the Utah Jazz in February 2023, where he was subsequently bought out. Sources close to ESPN indicated that some within the Nuggets organization felt their hard-working, highly skilled, but somewhat reserved roster needed an injection of “spice,” as team president Josh Kroenke recently described Westbrook, to overcome the playoff hurdles they repeatedly faced.
No player in the league can bring the intense energy Westbrook provides to his teams. However, this energy is notoriously difficult to consistently control and channel effectively.
Nevertheless, the idea remained appealing to the Nuggets at that time because they believed Jokic was the world`s best player, squarely in his prime. They understood that the window to win an NBA championship can close rapidly if you keep encountering the same obstacles.
Ultimately, sources reported, the Nuggets decided against signing him back then due to concerns that Westbrook might disrupt the locker room harmony and potentially undermine the confidence of point guard Jamal Murray.
That decision proved prescient, as the Nuggets went on to secure their first championship a few months later.
However, the situation was different this past offseason. They did not defend their championship the previous season, experiencing a regression and losing in the second round after key role players departed in free agency and the younger players expected to fill their roles developed slowly. They determined this could not happen again, especially with Jokic performing at an even higher level in his age-30 season.
So, the Nuggets took the gamble, fully aware that Westbrook is essentially a walking list of pros and cons.
On the positive side: Westbrook is passionate, intensely focused, perpetually competitive, and consistently available.
On the negative side: He can be unpredictable in mood, reckless on the court, inflexible, and display immaturity when things don`t go his way.
All these traits have been evident this season, and perhaps even amplified. At times, Westbrook has been exactly what the Nuggets required, while at others, he has been their downfall. He has single-handedly decided the outcome of games, both favorably and unfavorably. He has inspired deep loyalty among teammates, but also significant frustration – sometimes simultaneously within the same day.
They are acutely aware of the difficulty in relying on such an unpredictable player, and perhaps he is beginning to recognize this too.
“My ability to be a force of nature on the court is what I value,” Westbrook stated after helping the Nuggets overcome the Clippers in their first-round Game 7. “Whatever that manifests as – it could be a turnover, a missed shot, a steal, a dunk, a missed 3, a made 3 – it`s going to encompass all of that. You accept it as it comes, and whatever occurs, you proceed with it. I`ve always approached the game that way.”
On April 1st, the Nuggets witnessed nearly the full spectrum of this in just 15 seconds.
With 14.2 seconds remaining in double overtime, the Nuggets holding a 139-138 lead, Westbrook intercepted a pass from Anthony Edwards and sped downcourt with an opportunity to seal the game – a game in which Jokic had recorded a 60-point triple-double.
However, Westbrook missed a layup at close range, leaving valuable time on the clock for another Timberwolves possession.
On the subsequent play, Westbrook lagged defensively and failed to initially spot an open Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the corner. Sprinting to contest, he then fouled him as he shot. Alexander-Walker converted all three free throws, shifting the game`s outcome in favor of Minnesota.
It was a painful defeat, and Westbrook did not publicly address his role in the sequence for several days.
Eight days later, interim coach David Adelman demonstrated a more assertive approach to managing Westbrook. According to multiple sources, former coach Mike Malone had been more inclined to grant Westbrook the same level of freedom on and off the court given to Jokic and Murray, a dynamic that wasn`t universally welcomed by the team. Ironically, this dynamic contributed to Westbrook not being present when both Malone and general manager Calvin Booth were fired, and Adelman assumed the interim coaching role.
Westbrook had been granted permission to spend the off day at home with his family in Los Angeles. This prompted a discussion among Nuggets decision-makers about whether he should be asked to return to Denver to be with the team during their regrouping or meet them, as originally planned, in Sacramento the following day. Ultimately, he joined the team in Sacramento.
In Adelman`s very first game as interim coach, after Westbrook missed a 3-pointer, a short jumper, and a layup on 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 held on to end a four-game losing streak. Westbrook finished the game with a season-low 17 minutes played.
The message was clearly delivered.
The chaotic start extended into the beginning of the playoffs.
Following a first-round loss where Westbrook visibly showed frustration upon being substituted late in the game, one player confided to ESPN, “It`s wild. He`s completely altered the mood and energy of our team.”
However, after another game, an assistant coach told ESPN, “Russ competed fiercely. It`s remarkable he`s still playing like this in his 17th year. I wish we had ten players like him.”
MINUTES AFTER THE Nuggets` Game 2 loss in their first-round series against the Clippers, Adelman faced an issue.
While he was speaking at the postgame press conference, a heated exchange occurred between Westbrook and Gordon in the locker room, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN. Gordon had reportedly confronted Westbrook about his attitude.
Outside the locker room, one player shared why Gordon might have felt compelled to do so.
“He`s just so immature,” the player remarked about Westbrook.
Their season seemed on the verge of collapse, potentially concluding in a chaotic and dysfunctional manner after the team had fired both Malone and Booth with only three games left in the regular season.
Instead, that moment appeared to mark the beginning of a turnaround.
The Nuggets proceeded to win three of the next four games, eliminating the Clippers, including a dominant Game 7 victory where Westbrook contributed 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting, along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. In the decisive second quarter, which Denver won 37-21, Westbrook played the entire 12 minutes, scoring 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, adding 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
“The strength of this team is our willingness to be honest with each other,” one player told ESPN regarding the Game 2 argument, “and to hold each other accountable.”
These are the statements made when a team is winning. And for the moment, Westbrook and the Nuggets are locked in an intense battle with the previously dominant Thunder. Each game feels like a prolonged struggle. Most players are exhausted – except for the one player who still seems to possess boundless energy.
“We`ve moved forward throughout the year,” Westbrook commented after the Game 1 win against the Thunder. “There were ups and downs, but we`ve done a good job focusing on our mistakes and taking responsibility for them. Addressing them and communicating. To go far in this playoff run, I believe you need to be honest with one another.”
These are not sentiments Westbrook has typically expressed before, publicly or privately.
In many ways, his greatest strength is also his vulnerability – his refusal to compromise, regardless of pressure or circumstances. He scoffs at the idea of adapting. He nearly played himself out of the league rather than accept a bench role with the Lakers; his former agent even severed ties with him over this stance.
“I couldn`t envision another team signing him,” one team source remarked about the Nuggets` decision to sign Westbrook, given his less-than-ideal endings with his four previous teams, “but I never thought we would actually do it.”
What is clear, however, is that from their perspective, they felt they had no alternative path to contention without taking this risk. And it appears they wouldn`t be in their current position in the playoffs without him.