<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-jamal-murray-real-russell-westbrook-impact');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jamal Murray gets real on Russell Westbrook’s Nuggets impact');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nuggets-news-Jamal-Murray-gets-real-on-Russell-Westbrooks-impact.jpg"></figure><h1>Jamal Murray gets real on Russell Westbrook’s Nuggets impact</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-09T19:24:54-07:00">October 9th, 7:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-09T19:24:54-07:00">October 9th, 7:24pm</time><address><a>Rachel Strand</a>Rachel Strand is a credentialed beat reporter covering the Denver Nuggets and Denver Broncos for ClutchPoints. She is also the creator of DailyDenverBroncos and a podcast host for Mile High Report.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Russell Westbrook has only been in Denver for a few months, but his new teammates already <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-game-changer-training-camp">feel his impact.</a></p><p>During the offseason, Westbrook signed with the Denver Nuggets on a veteran minimum deal. Westbrook joins a young Nuggets team, with some players being young enough to remember <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1844157292914278450" rel="noopener">watching him play growing up</a>.</p><p>“I grew up watching him. We all did, really,” said Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray, per Katy Winge of AltitudeTV. “It’s cool to see him up close and in person.”</p><p>Westbrook has been one of the biggest names in basketball for more than a decade. So for his new teammates, it almost seems surreal that they get the chance to play with him.</p><p>“To look at Russ is like, ‘Oh, damn. That’s Russ,'” continued Murray. “Every time he’s in the gym he kind of lifts not just me but everybody’s spirit and awareness.”</p><h2><b>Russell Westbrook’s impact on young Nuggets players</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nuggets-guard-Russell-Westbrook-during-Denver-Nuggets-Media-Day.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Westbrook has been one of the biggest names in basketball for more than a decade. During his 16-year NBA career, his personality and play style has impacted many young basketball players. Peyton Watson, who is entering just his third year in the NBA, <a href="https://www.denverpost.com/2024/09/13/russell-westbrook-nuggets-christian-braun-peyton-watson/" rel="noopener">showered his new teammate with praise</a>.</p><p>“He was just a huge inspiration for me from the passion he plays with,” said Watson via The Denver Post. “Being himself unapologetically, and just being somebody who I feel like always leaves it out there on the floor. … As far back as I can remember watching basketball, really, I’ve been watching the energy and the passion that he played with, knowing that he came from damn near down the street from where I’m from.”</p><p>Christian Braun is eyeing a starting role with the Nuggets this season. Like Watson, Braun is also in the early stages of his NBA career. Having a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbook-take-denver-role-nba-rivals">veteran presence</a> like Westbrook around could positively affect both players.</p><p>Both Westbrook and Braun have a similar aggressive play style. Growing up, Braun also watched Westbrook and became a big fan of his style of play.</p><p>“I love his game. I loved his game when I was young. I love his game now,” said Braun. “I think his energy, his tenacity, those are all things that every team needs. He loves the game. He plays it with the right intensity. … The way he plays, downhill, so aggressive, so tough.”</p><p>The Nuggets fizzled out in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and at times looked like they were lacking energy. Westbrook’s high-octane style of play could be just what the Nuggets need to revitalize their offense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jamal Murray gets real on Russell Westbrook’s Nuggets impact

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/lakers-news-lebron-james-shuts-down-criticism-russell-westbrook-legend-take');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ LeBron James shuts down criticism with Russell Westbrook ‘LEGEND’ take');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lakers-news-LeBron-James-shuts-down-criticism-with-Russell-Westbrook-LEGEND-take.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers’ LeBron James shuts down criticism with Russell Westbrook ‘LEGEND’ take</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-05T09:30:13-07:00">October 5th, 9:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-05T14:01:03-07:00">October 5th, 2:01pm</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>LeBron James and Russell Westbrook’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-how-darvin-ham-benching-russell-westbrook-was-strategic-per-patrick-beverley">time together with the Los Angeles Lakers</a> did not go as planned, but that does not mean that there is any animosity between the two stars. Despite media members claiming that Westbrook was used as the “scapegoat” of the failed Lakers teams, James fired back by calling out the shameless claim.</p><p>The statement came from the Boston Celtics’ television broadcast commentating tandem of Drew Carter and Brian Scalabrine, who said they hope that Westbrook makes “nine threes” against the Lakers, a franchise they felt mistreated him. <a href="https://x.com/KingJames/status/1842585652699013203" rel="noopener">James responded on X</a>, formerly Twitter, to a clip of the quote during the Celtics vs. Nuggets preseason game on Oct. 4.</p><p>“Took a trip all the way to Abu Dhabi to be on my..,” James tweeted. “Eat some breakfast first! Anyways Brodie a LEGEND.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Took a trip all the way to Abu Dhabi to be on my…..Eat some breakfast first! Anyways Brodie a LEGEND 🫡 <a href="https://t.co/Ux3Wnl83Y5">https://t.co/Ux3Wnl83Y5</a></p><p>— LeBron James (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1842585652699013203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 5, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>James referenced Abu Dhabi, where the game was played in the Etihad Arena to kick off the 2024-2025 NBA preseason. The Celtics wound up winning the matchup 107-103.</p><p>On the same day, the Lakers also played their first preseason game in Pittsburgh, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-107. James did not play in the game but watched his son, Bronny James, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/lakers-news-jj-redick-drops-truth-bomb-bronny-james-preseason-debut">make a layup in the final minute</a> to score his first professional points.</p><h2><b>Russell Westbrook’s time with LeBron James and the Lakers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Russell-Westbrook.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When Russell Westbrook was traded to the Lakers in 2021, the league was supposed to be put on notice by the new trio in Los Angeles. The former MVP came over from the Washington Wizards to join LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who had just won a title two years before.</p><p>However, despite entering the season as one of the favorites to come out of the Western Conference, the Lakers shockingly failed to make the playoffs in Westbrook’s first year with the team. Los Angeles was criticized for its inefficient roster construction with many claiming that Westbrook’s game did not fit well alongside James and Davis.</p><p>The following year, Westbrook reverted to the bench for the first time in his career and saw his numbers drop across the board. The Lakers qualified for the play-in tournament, but ultimately, the Denver Nuggets swept the Lakers in the playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ LeBron James shuts down criticism with Russell Westbrook ‘LEGEND’ take

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-game-changer-training-camp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets Russell Westbrook draws ‘game-changer’ label at training camp');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Nuggets-news-Russell-Westbrook-draws-game-changer-label-at-training-camp.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets Russell Westbrook draws ‘game-changer’ label at training camp</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-03T09:56:22-07:00">October 3rd, 9:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-03T09:56:22-07:00">October 3rd, 9:56am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University while covering events like the 2023 NCAA Men's Final Four, the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and the Arizona State men's swim and dive team. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As Denver Nuggets point guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbook-take-denver-role-nba-rivals">Russell Westbrook described his role</a> with his new team, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone realized <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5808675/2024/10/02/russell-westbrook-denver-nuggets-chemistry/" rel="noopener">the dynamic his point guard can add</a> for his team.</p><p>“Russell is a game-changer for us,” Malone said via Tony Jones of The Athletic. “He’s a force. You can hear him coming. I just love the intangibles that he brings to us. I think that he’s going to raise the bar, and I think that we’re going to be more competitive because of it.”</p><p>Westbrook has been on his fifth team since 2019. However, changing cities and organizations hasn’t stopped him from sticking to his bread and butter. He brings the intensity on both sides of the ball and isn’t on the court to make friends. Still, Westbrook had impressive career averages of <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westbru01.html" rel="noopener">21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game</a>. Although he’s taken a lesser role the past two seasons, his impact is still felt by all of his teammates.</p><p>When <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-nikola-jokic-historic-triple-double-team-up">Westbrook teamed up with Nikola Jokic</a>, the jokes surrounding triple-doubles became fruitful for the internet to enjoy. Denver brought in the triple-double leader because of much more than statistics.</p><h2><b>How can Russell Westbrook spark change for the Nuggets?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Russell-Westbrook-brings-a-game-changer-label-at-Nuggets-training-camp.jpg"><figcaption>© Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Nuggets were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the semifinals. Throughout the series, the Timberwolves had a different edge to them throughout the final three games. Superstar guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/timberwolves-news-paul-george-anthony-edwards-trash-talk-kevin-durant">Anthony Edwards brought the trash-talk</a> but also had that “it” factor athletes dream of having in sports. His relentless pursuit of a win at whatever cost helped propel Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals.</p><p>While Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is quite the playoff performer, Edwards outplayed him in the series and was seen getting inside his head quite a bit. Someone like Westbrook can challenge Edwards on both fronts. Although Westbrook isn’t the player he was a decade ago, he’s still one of the most athletic players in the league.</p><p>Young players like Peyton Watson and Christian Braun grew up watching Westbrook in the prime of his career. They saw the mentality, approach, and dedication to the game of basketball. Even though he won’t be in the starting lineup, his mentality will be felt by every player, every coach, and even upper management within the Denver organization.</p><p>That impact will be felt on Friday as the Nuggets take on the reigning NBA Champions, the Boston Celtics in their first taste of preseason action.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets Russell Westbrook draws ‘game-changer’ label at training camp

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-reveals-pivotal-key-success-denver');   ga('set', 'title', 'Russell Westbrook reveals 1 pivotal key for success with Nuggets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_0797.jpeg"></figure><h1>Russell Westbrook reveals 1 pivotal key for success with Nuggets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-28T16:47:02-07:00">September 28th, 4:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-28T16:47:02-07:00">September 28th, 4:47pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets come into the 2024-25 NBA season having lost a key piece in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-kentavious-caldwell-pope-declined-nuggets-return-free-agency">Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to free agency</a> and the Orlando Magic. The Nuggets did add a few key players though in free agency including Russell Westbrook. In the days ahead of training camp, Westbrook spoke about why he believes that he might find success in Denver that he did not in his previous stops as per DNVR Nuggets.</p><p>“To be honest, (my skill set) it was unique, they just didn’t put me in position to be unique. I was in a position where I was playing, not my position,” Westbrook said. “Being able to be here, and Coach Malone allowing me to be able to use my speed, use my transition skill to be able to make other guys better, makes the game easy for everybody around me. And that’s what I love to do best.”</p><p>The Nuggets signed Russell Westbrook as a free agent following a contract buyout from the Utah Jazz. Westbrook was traded to the Jazz by the Los Angeles Clippers after opting into his contract earlier in the offseason.</p><p>Denver’s depth has taken a hit since their 2023 championship run. They lost Bruce Brown and Jeff Green to free agency and last season they just didn’t get enough consistent production from the supporting cast.</p><h2><b>Russell Westbrook searching for title with Nuggets<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IMG_0798.jpeg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Aside from internal development, the Nuggets are banking on Russell Westbrook being a key piece in returning to title contender status. The 16-year NBA veteran was their biggest offseason acquisition.</p><p>Westbrook chose to opt into his contract with the Clippers, but it was widely assumed that he would be on the move this summer. Sure enough, the Clippers sent him to the Jazz in a sign-and-trade that brought Kris Dunn to Los Angeles.</p><p>Once the Jazz bought out Westbrook’s contract, he signed with the Nuggets. It was the second time Westbrook had his contract bought out by the Jazz within the past couple of seasons. He was traded to the Jazz during the 2022-23 season by the Los Angeles Lakers.</p><p>Last season, Westbrook appeared in 68 games, including 11 starts, at a little over 22 minutes per game. He averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals with splits of 45.4 percent shooting from the field, 27.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 68.8 percent shooting from the free-throw line.</p><p>Westbrook provided the Clippers with a major energy boost each time he came into the game, and the team suffered from his loss when he sideline for a period due to a hand injury. But he was unable to make a consistent impact during the team’s first round loss in the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Russell Westbrook reveals 1 pivotal key for success with Nuggets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbook-take-denver-role-nba-rivals');   ga('set', 'title', 'Russell Westbrook’s take on his Denver role will scare NBA rivals');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-news-Russell-Westbrooks-take-on-his-Denver-role-will-scare-NBA-rivals.jpg"></figure><h1>Russell Westbrook’s take on his Denver role will scare NBA rivals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-27T20:34:12-07:00">September 27th, 8:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-27T20:34:12-07:00">September 27th, 8:34pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the key offseason moves for the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-aaron-gordon-desire-stay-nuggets-long-term">Denver Nuggets involved acquiring former MVP Russell Westbrook</a>, who is entering his 17th NBA season, adding a fresh dynamic to the roster.</p><p>At 35 and on his fifth team since 2019, the Nuggets guard emphasized during the team’s media day that he has no intention of dialing back the intensity that earned him league MVP honors and nine All-Star selections.</p><h2><b>Russell Westbrook’s intensity remains the same</b></h2><p>“I think that people confuse intensity with competitiveness. When I compete, when I’m on the floor, I don’t want to be walking around shaking hands, kissing babies — I don’t really want to do that. I’m there to — excuse my language, but, kick some ass,” said Westbrook <a href="https://www.twitter.com/hoopshype/status/1839402345735799007" rel="noopener">while addressing the media</a> during the Nuggets media day.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russell Westbrook on his role with Denver Nuggets: </p><p>"When I’m on the floor, I dont want to be walking around, kissing babies, I don't want to do that. I'm there to kick some ass." <a href="https://t.co/qdBSCnqDga">pic.twitter.com/qdBSCnqDga</a></p><p>— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) <a href="https://twitter.com/hoopshype/status/1839402345735799007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Following a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs, the front office decided to make changes instead of sticking with the same roster in their pursuit of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.</p><p>The Nuggets aim to capitalize on their championship window, and the organization expects nothing less than intensity from Westbrook.</p><p>While with the LA Clippers last season, Westbrook averaged 11 points, five rebounds, and 4.5 assists in just over 22 minutes per game. He is expected to back up 27-year-old Jamal Murray when the Nuggets’ season kicks off.</p><p>Westbrook has become one of the more controversial figures in the league during the latter part of his career. His shooting inefficiency, reflected in his 45 percent field goal, 27 percent three-point, and 69 percent free throw splits last season, has led to reduced playing time.</p><h2><b>Denver Nuggets looking different with Russell Westbrook onboard</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-during-Nuggets-media-day.jpg"><figcaption>Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Although Westbrook has faced criticism from fans, both from rival teams and his own, he enjoys strong support from his teammates. They consistently praise his intensity and dedication to the game.</p><p>“Russ brings a different culture and a different mindset to a team — a different energy.I think that he’s gonna be that burst of energy that we need on both sides of the floor,” ,” said his former teammate at the Los Angeles Lakers, Deandre Jordan during the Nuggets media day.</p><p>Westbrook can have an immediate offensive impact in Denver’s transition game, which ranked in the bottom third of the league for both opportunities and efficiency last season.</p><p>Despite a notable decline in his finishing ability, he consistently pushes the ball up the court, generating chances for himself and his teammates.</p><p>His most significant weakness, which often elicited frustration and disbelief from Lakers fans during his time in Los Angeles, is his shooting—hitting just 27% from beyond the arc and 37% from mid-range last season.</p><p>However, those opportunities may be restricted with the Nuggets, especially if Westbrook plays most of his minutes <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-weighs-triple-double-battle-nikola-jokic">alongside two-time MVP Nikola Jokic</a> during Murray’s rests. Westbrook has developed into a timely and efficient cutter, capitalizing on defenders who lose track of him while ignoring him behind the three-point line.</p><p>This was Westbrook’s most effective offensive strategy last season, and one can only imagine the increased opportunities he will get from arguably the best passing big man in NBA history. We’ve seen Jokic consistently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-aaron-gordon-ready-for-war-with-russell-westbrook">set up Aaron Gordon</a> in similar ways over the past few seasons.</p><p>That style of intelligent, active cutting, combined with pushing the pace and attacking the offensive boards, will likely be Westbrook’s key contributions to a team eager to rebound from last postseason’s setback.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Russell Westbrook’s take on his Denver role will scare NBA rivals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-aaron-gordon-ready-for-war-with-russell-westbrook');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon ready for ‘war’ with Russell Westbrook');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-news-Aaron-Gordon-ready-for-war-with-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon ready for ‘war’ with Russell Westbrook</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T19:27:03-07:00">September 26th, 7:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T19:27:03-07:00">September 26th, 7:27pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets fell short of their goal last season to repeat as champion. But now that the 2024-25 season is almost upon us, the Nuggets have a renewed vigor about them as they look to put the disappointment of last year in the rearview mirror. The Nuggets may have lost one of their best contributors over the past three seasons in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-shares-kobe-bryant-mentality-for-handling-boos-from-fans">brought in the ultimate X-factor</a> in the NBA to come off the bench: Russell Westbrook.</p><p>Westbrook has been arguably the most polarizing player in the NBA over the past decade. He has clear strengths in his game, but his deficiencies are also glaring, namely, he can’t space the floor consistently well.</p><p>But the Nuggets are welcoming the fact that he’s on the roster now, with Aaron Gordon commending the energy the former league MVP brings to the table. In fact, Gordon has already been touched by Westbrook’s contagious competitive streak, with Gordon saying that he’s <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839417578005147884" rel="noopener">ready to do whatever it takes</a> while competing alongside the veteran floor genral.</p><p>“Just the energy. He’s a hell of a competitor. You want him on your side and I’m glad we got him… Dude is a legend… I’m ready to go to war with him,” Gordon said in his press conference, via the official NBA account on X (formerly known as Twitter).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Just the energy. He’s a hell of a competitor. You want him on your side and I’m glad we got him… Dude is a legend… I’m ready to go to war with him.”</p><p>Aaron Gordon on Russell Westbrook 🙌</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/wXPIeqI4XH">pic.twitter.com/wXPIeqI4XH</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839417578005147884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Indeed, if there’s anything Russell Westbrook is in abundance of, it’s this competitive fire and the us-against-the-world mentality that he brings on every single night. When Westbrook is on the team, he’s fully bought in. Nearly all of his former teammates have spoken highly of him, and Aaron Gordon’s remarks show that nothing has changed in that regard for the 35-year-old guard.</p><p>Of course, jelling with the team might take time. The Nuggets will be well aware of Westbrook’s weak spots on the court, and they will want to avoid putting him in positions where it will be difficult for him to contribute. But Westbrook has made their locker room vibes immaculate, which should be of big help considering the regular season grind that lies ahead.</p><h2>Russell Westbrook and the Nuggets brace for a Western Conference bloodbath</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-on-April-28-2024.jpg"></figure><p>Russell Westbrook said that he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/russell-westbrook-eye-opening-defense-michael-malone">wanted to sign with the Nuggets</a> due to the fact that they play the right way — with the ball always moving and the team giving up good shots to find great looks. The Nuggets, however, will have to reconfigure their offense if they were to keep up with the behemoths of the Western Conference.</p><p>The heartbeat of the team will continue to be the Nikola Jokic-Jamal Murray two-man game, but other than that, the Nuggets will have to find other reliable ways to generate points — especially from the perimeter. Last season, the Nuggets were the lowest-volume three-point shooting team in the league, and they will have to tilt the mathematical equation back in their favor if they were to improve upon last year’s effort.</p><p>Westbrook should help in that regard. He is an unselfish playmaker who works well with the ball in his hands, and the sheer force with which he attacks the basket should generate good looks from beyond the arc. Michael Porter Jr., Julian Strawther, and Dario Saric will thrive alongside Westbrook, while Peyton Watson could be a good pick-and-roll partner for the 35-year-old guard.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon ready for ‘war’ with Russell Westbrook

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-weighs-triple-double-battle-nikola-jokic');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook weighs in on triple-double battle with Nikola Jokic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-hilariously-weighs-in-on-triple-double-battle-with-Nikola-Jokic.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook weighs in on triple-double battle with Nikola Jokic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T11:29:16-07:00">September 26th, 11:29am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T11:29:16-07:00">September 26th, 11:29am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Entering his 17th NBA season, Russell Westbrook joins Nikola Jokic, the league’s reigning MVP and the 2023 champion Denver Nuggets, in their pursuit of returning to the NBA Finals. The Nuggets, who the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated in the second round of last year’s playoffs, will look to make a deeper push in 2025. After a recent workout video of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-offseason-workout-draws-mixed-fan-reviews">Westbrook drew mixed reviews on social media</a> last week, a reporter asked Westbrook if he’s discussed a potential triple-double race between him and Jokic in 2024-25 in a clip from Nuggets Media Day posted to X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“No, we have not,” Westbrook replied. “And, I don’t know if there’s a race or not, but we have not talked about it at all. Nikola is the best player in the world, and he’s playing at the highest level. All we care about, and he’ll probably tell you the same, is winning basketball games. That’s it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"We have not talked about it all. Nikola [Jokic] is the best player in the world… All we care about is winning basketball games."</p><p>Russell Westbrook on the triple-double "race" 😅<a href="https://t.co/cwICOuXgJD">pic.twitter.com/cwICOuXgJD</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839348136323727657?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Westbrook is happy he doesn’t have to scout for playing against Jokic anymore. As the two-time MVP’s teammate, Westbrook <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839351452302746008" rel="noopener">is glad to be</a> on the Nuggets’ side of opposing teams game-planning against the Joker in 2024-25, per NBA’s X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>“Good luck. That’s it. You just hope that he misses; there’s nothing you can do,” Westbrook said. “You want to be able to be on a team with somebody that’s literally unguardable, and I’m grateful to be on this team.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"Good luck… There's nothing you can do."</p><p>Russell Westbrook on game planning against Nikola Jokic 😅</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a>)<a href="https://t.co/3Q6BT48dWg">pic.twitter.com/3Q6BT48dWg</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839351452302746008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p> </p><h2>Russell Westbrook’s offseason workout draws mixed fan reviews</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-guard-Russell-Westbrook_3bf51d.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Coming off of a campaign where Russell Westbrook averaged career lows in points (11.1) and assists (4.5), suffice it to say his days over averaging a triple-double (22.9 points, 10.7 assists, and 11.5 rebounds in 2019-20) to compete with Nikola Jokic are behind him. Still, reaching the impressive feat in four out of five seasons in Westbrook’s heyday between 2016 and 2021 will never be forgotten. Perhaps a productive, bounce-back season with the Nuggets in 2024-25 will do the same for fans watching Westbrook practice corner threes in a workout video that went viral last week.</p><p>In the video, the nine-time All-Star shoots deep corner threes with his feet touching the gym’s out-of-bounce line, per BelikeMike’s X, formerly Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russell Westbrook in the lab putting in WORK 🧪</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/bellikemike?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bellikemike</a>)<a href="https://t.co/hTdTTZfpcw">pic.twitter.com/hTdTTZfpcw</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1837170256692851143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Coming off 2023-24, Westbrook shot at a 27.3% clip from behind the 3-point arc, his lowest shooting percentage in 14 years (22.1% in 2009-10). Fans were conflicted about how often they wanted to see the two-time scoring champion attempting threes in 2024-25.</p><p>In addition to training for the upcoming season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-opens-westbrook-academy-in-los-angeles">Westbrook opened a new school in Los Angeles</a>. Westbrook Academy is expected to serve over 400 middle and high school students.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook weighs in on triple-double battle with Nikola Jokic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-shares-kobe-bryant-mentality-for-handling-boos-from-fans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook shares Kobe Bryant mentality for handling boos from fans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-shares-Kobe-Bryant-mentality-for-handling-boos-from-fans-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook shares Kobe Bryant mentality for handling boos from fans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T10:41:32-07:00">September 26th, 10:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T10:41:32-07:00">September 26th, 10:41am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As new <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-offseason-workout-draws-mixed-fan-reviews">Denver Nuggets star Russell Westbrook prepares for the upcoming season</a> and first in his current stint, there is no doubt that he bring a wealth of experience to a team that has already experienced success at the highest level. With fans locking in their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/predicting-nuggets-record-after-2024-25-season-schedule-release">record predictions for the Nuggets with Westbrook</a>, he spoke on Denver’s media day to touch on many aspects involving his career and upcoming season.</p><p>There is no doubt that Westbrook has been one of the more polarizing NBA players in recent memory resulting in negative fan reactions. However, Westbrook said Thursday that he takes it as a <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839339830104506844" rel="noopener">“sign of respect”</a> which was the mentality that the late, great Kobe Bryant had as mentioned by the 35-year old star.</p><p>“I don’t know if it’s public enemy number one,” Westbrook said. “I think, this is how I look at it. Over my course of my career, a lot of I’ve been booed and all that stuff everywhere else, but I take it a sign of respect, just like the late Kobe Bryant, when people boo you, they understand it’s a level of respect, and it’s a reason. If people don’t say anything, then you should be worried. And for me, I take it as a level of respect, and I’m grateful now to be a part of the loud and yell and screaming, and my job is to make them scream louder and have fun and enjoy the game.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Over the course of my career, I’ve been booed and all that stuff everywhere else, but I take it as a sign of respect just like the late Kobe Bryant… If people don’t say anything, then you should be worried.”</p><p>– Russell Westbrook<a href="https://t.co/Vrba9Mojbh">pic.twitter.com/Vrba9Mojbh</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839339830104506844?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Russell Westbrook speaks on why he chose to play with the Nuggets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-on-April-28-2024.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">Westbrook signed a two-year, $6.8 million contract with the Nuggets</a> back in late July which brought in another facilitator and playmaker to the team. He also joins a possible contender after they won the NBA Finals back in 2022 after beating the Miami Heat in five games as Westbrook <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839345583360008568" rel="noopener">talks about the culture and winning pedigree they have.</a></p><p>“Just the culture. Looking out, you know, from the outside looking in, the team has always been at the top of the Western Conference,” Westbrook said. “You know, always in the hunt to win a championship, always play the right brand of basketball. I’m always, you know, at this stage of my career, looking to play the right way, regardless of the wins or losses, understanding that playing the proper brand of basketball allows everyone to kind of get involved, allows team to grow and also allows you to be the winner at the highest level and the Nuggets, you know, has been doing that for years, and I’m grateful to be here.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“[The Nuggets] always play the right brand of basketball. I’m always at this stage of my career looking to play the right way regardless of the wins &amp; losses. Playing the proper brand of basketball allows everyone to get involved.”</p><p>—Russell Westbrook<a href="https://t.co/LvWXbyVqHL">pic.twitter.com/LvWXbyVqHL</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839345583360008568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>While coming to the Nuggets seems like an easy decision, big-man DeAndre Jordan also shared what he told Westbrook in his recruiting pitch <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839341350170558609" rel="noopener">which involved a humorous NSFW statement.</a></p><p>“I told him [to] just get his a*s over here. We needed him to come here and play [with the Nuggets].”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reporter: “What was your sales pitch I guess to [Russell Westbrook]?”</p><p>DeAndre Jordan: “I told him [to] just get his a*s over here. We needed him to come here and play [with the Nuggets].” 🤣<a href="https://t.co/c1yttAKOwS">pic.twitter.com/c1yttAKOwS</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839341350170558609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Denver opens up the preseason on Friday, Oct. 4 as they take on the Boston Celtics and eventually the regular season on Oct. 24 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook shares Kobe Bryant mentality for handling boos from fans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-eye-opening-defense-michael-malone');   ga('set', 'title', 'Russell Westbrook earns eye-opening defense take from Michael Malone');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-earns-eye-opening-defense-take-from-Michael-Malone.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Russell Westbrook earns eye-opening defense take from Michael Malone</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-26T10:38:49-07:00">September 26th, 10:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-26T10:39:33-07:00">September 26th, 10:39am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone recently <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839333865002828058" rel="noopener">offered high praise</a> for Russell Westbrook’s defense during the team’s media day, highlighting a dimension of the former MVP’s game that often goes unnoticed. Westbrook, who signed with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">Nuggets this offseason following a buyout with the Utah Jazz</a> after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers, is typically recognized for his electrifying athleticism, relentless rebounding, and dynamic playmaking. However, Malone focused on the veteran guard’s defensive prowess, which he believes deserves more recognition.</p><p>“I think when people talk about Russell Westbrook, no one really mentions defense. They mention how quick he is, how explosive he is, the rebounding, the playmaking,” Malone said. “When we went back and watched as a staff, his defense last year with the Clippers, end of games he was on the opposing team’s best player every night.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nuggets coach Michael Malone on Russell Westbrook’s defense not getting enough recognition when guarding the NBA’s best players:</p><p>“I think when people talk about Russell Westbrook, no one really mentions defense. They mention how quick he is, how explosive he is, the rebounding,… <a href="https://t.co/67wtEvbCOw">pic.twitter.com/67wtEvbCOw</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1839333865002828058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 26, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Michael Malone praises Russell Westbrook’s defensive intensity</b></h2><p>Malone’s comments point to Russell Westbrook’s ability to rise to the occasion in critical moments, where his competitive intensity and awareness become invaluable assets. Known for his unrelenting motor, Westbrook has developed into a player capable of guarding the opposition’s top offensive threats, especially in clutch situations.</p><p>“You have a guy that you can close games with… who knows the league, knows personnel, has the respect of the officials, and has a competitive, ‘I’m gonna get in your sh*t’ mindset that I love,” Malone added.</p><p>Westbrook, who is expected to come off the bench again for the 2024-25 NBA season, brings a wealth of experience to a Nuggets team looking to bounce back from a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-why-michael-malone-forcefully-pushed-back-michael-porter-jr-blame-timberwolves-loss">second-round playoff exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves</a>. His addition could provide the defensive spark and leadership needed to complement Denver’s core as they aim for another deep postseason run. With Westbrook’s versatility, Malone sees a valuable piece that could elevate the team’s performance on both ends of the floor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Russell Westbrook earns eye-opening defense take from Michael Malone

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/warriors-news-stephen-curry-sends-message-russell-westbrook-la-school-opening');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Stephen Curry sends message to Russell Westbrook amid L.A. school opening');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Stephen-Curry-sends-message-to-Russell-Westbrook-amid-L.A.-school-opening.jpg"></figure><h1>Warriors’ Stephen Curry sends message to Russell Westbrook amid L.A. school opening</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-24T14:16:19-07:00">September 24th, 2:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-24T14:19:18-07:00">September 24th, 2:19pm</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an associate editor covering a variety of sports with a beat focus on the Chicago Sky for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook are two of the most respected NBA veterans. The two never played on the same team, but they have great respect for each other. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-opens-westbrook-academy-in-los-angeles">Westbrook helped open a school in Los Angeles</a> in late September, which drew a message from Curry.</p><p>In collaboration with the L.A. Promise Fund, the Nuggets <a href="https://twitter.com/clutchpoints/status/1838412708095627716?s=46" rel="noopener">guard opened the</a> Westbrook Academy on Tuesday in South Los Angeles. The facility is expected to serve over 400 middle and high school students. Stephen Curry sent Westbrook <a href="https://twitter.com/clutchpoints/status/1838418797927284973?s=46" rel="noopener">a congratulatory message</a> on social media when news of the school’s opening broke.</p><h2><b>Warriors guard Stephen Curry pays respect to Westbrook</b></h2><p>“Congrats [Russell Westbrook], [Nina Westbrook], and the whole family,” the Curry posted on his Instagram story.</p><p>Westbrook opened up on the decision to partner with L.A Promise to open up the school.</p><p>“Having grown up in Los Angeles, knowing the resources I didn’t have. And to have an opportunity to partner with L.A. Promise to bring something like this to South LA for their kids, for their families… What’s most important in education is our future. There’s different parts of education that we’ve attacked here. Mental health is a huge part of our operation, our family services is a huge part of our operation. I just want to be able to bring something where kids come to school, enjoy, and have a fun and healthy learning environment,” Westbrook said, per Kelli Johnson of Fox 11 Los Angeles.</p><p>In addition to growing up in LA, Westbrook spent part of his career playing for the Lakers and Clippers. He comes off a 2023-24 season where he averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.1 steals for LA. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">Westbrook departed the Clippers for the Nuggets</a> during the 2024 offseason, joining forces with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.</p><p>It will be exciting to see everything else Westbrook accomplishes during the last part of his NBA career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Stephen Curry sends message to Russell Westbrook amid L.A. school opening

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/russell-westbrooks-academy-campus-pays-homage-to-kobe-bryant-nipsey-hussle');   ga('set', 'title', 'Russell Westbrook’s Academy campus pays homage to Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrooks-Academy-campus-pays-homage-to-Kobe-Bryant-Nipsey-Hussle.jpg"></figure><h1>Russell Westbrook’s Academy campus pays homage to Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-24T10:54:26-07:00">September 24th, 10:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-24T10:54:26-07:00">September 24th, 10:54am</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Entertainment</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>NBA star Russell Westbrook recently commemorated the grand reopening of the newly expanded Westbrook Academy campus on Monday, Sept. 23, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in South Gate, California. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-opens-westbrook-academy-in-los-angeles">Westbrook</a>, joined by his family, Westbrook Academy Chief of Schools Jason Marin, and Los Angeles Promise Fund President Veronica Melvin, <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/russell-westbrook-south-gate-westbrook-academy-new-campus" rel="noopener">welcomed over 400 students to the new</a> facility, per FoxLA. This expansion marks a significant step in Westbrook’s continued efforts to serve inner-city youth through education and mentorship.</p><p>The Westbrook Academy, powered by his Why Not? Foundation and the LA Promise Fund, emphasizes equipping students with the tools they need for success. The newly expanded campus will now support over 400 middle and high school students in South Los Angeles, underscoring Westbrook’s commitment to nurturing future generations.</p><p>Westbrook shared his excitement for the project in a heartfelt Instagram post, writing, “LEGACY! Think… WHYNOT? Grateful and blessed beyond words. For the inner city.” His message, both a celebration of progress and a challenge to inspire, quickly garnered praise from fellow NBA stars, including Steph Curry, who congratulated the Westbrook family. Players like Dejounte Murray, Victor Oladipo, and Norman Powell also expressed their admiration, highlighting the profound impact Westbrook’s foundation has had on Los Angeles.</p><p>During the ceremony, attendees were treated to a tour of the facility, which features murals dedicated to inspirational figures. The two most prominent faces on display are those of Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle, both influential in Westbrook’s life. These murals serve as daily reminders to students of the resilience and determination needed to overcome adversity.</p><h2>Honoring Kobe Bryant and Nipsey Hussle</h2><p>The Westbrook Academy mural of Kobe Bryant pays tribute to the late Lakers star, who deeply influenced Westbrook’s relentless drive on the basketball court. Known for his tireless work ethic, Westbrook often credited Bryant as the source of his motivation, emphasizing that Kobe’s mentorship fueled his passion for competing at the highest level. “I know if Kobe was here, he’d tell me to go out and compete at the highest level. That’s what I’m going to do each and every night, and make sure I leave it on the floor for him.,” Westbrook shared.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russell Westbrook reopened and expanded Westbrook academy yesterday</p><p>The state-of-the-art facility in South Gate serves over 400 middle and high school students from South Los Angeles.</p><p>Highly inspirational stuff 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/zmBVxFaPPg">pic.twitter.com/zmBVxFaPPg</a></p><p>— InRussWeTrust (@InRussWeTrust04) <a href="https://twitter.com/InRussWeTrust04/status/1838562607747207305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Likewise, the mural of Nipsey Hussle reflects another monumental figure in Westbrook’s life. A close friend of the late rapper, Russell Westbrook famously honored Nipsey just hours after his death by delivering one of the most memorable performances in NBA history. That night, Westbrook recorded the second-ever 20-20-20 game in a tribute to Nipsey and his connection to the Rollin’ 60s. Westbrook declared, “That was for Nipsey,” dedicating his historic feat to the fallen artist.</p><p>Through the Westbrook Academy, the NBA star continues to celebrate these figures who impacted his life, passing their values and messages of perseverance to the next generation of students. By offering educational opportunities and personal development resources, Westbrook is creating a lasting legacy that not only reflects his commitment to basketball but to the communities that shaped him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Russell Westbrook’s Academy campus pays homage to Kobe Bryant, Nipsey Hussle

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-opens-westbrook-academy-in-los-angeles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook opens Westbrook Academy in Los Angeles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-news-Russell-Westbrook-opens-Westbrook-Academy-in-Los-Angeles.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook opens Westbrook Academy in Los Angeles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-23T23:58:17-07:00">September 23rd, 11:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-23T23:58:17-07:00">September 23rd, 11:58pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Russell Westbrook may be deserving of his fair share of criticisms for his work on the court, but off of it, Westbrook continues to show that he is an upstanding citizen who would want nothing more than to give back to the community. Even though Westbrook is no longer playing for a Los Angeles-based NBA team following his move to the Denver Nuggets this offseason, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-video-russell-westbrook-says-his-legacy-is-not-about-basketball/">continues to be a pillar</a> in the South Los Angeles community.</p><p>On Monday, the Nuggets guard unveiled the expanded Westbrook Academy in LA, which is now expected to serve “over 400 middle and high school students”. Westbrook <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1838412708095627716" rel="noopener">partnered with L.A. Promise</a> to open up the school to give plenty of kids an opportunity to receive education and be afforded opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have.</p><p>“Having grown up in Los Angeles, knowing the resources I didn’t have. And to have an opportunity to partner with L.A. Promise to bring something like this to South LA for their kids, for their families… What’s most important in education is our future,” Westbrook told Good Day LA, via ClutchPoints on X, formerly known as Twitter.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russell Westbrook and the L.A. Promise Fund celebrated the grand re-opening of the Westbrook Academy today in South Los Angeles. The facility is expected to serve over 400 middle and high school students.</p><p>Russell Westbrook to <a href="https://twitter.com/GDLA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GDLA</a> on why he partnered with L.A. Promise to open… <a href="https://t.co/r1OZ8R30Nw">pic.twitter.com/r1OZ8R30Nw</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1838412708095627716?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 24, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Part of quality education is giving students more holistic and comprehensive instructions. One of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/rockets-news-russell-westbrook-starting-initiative-promoting-job-skills-at-risk-youth">Westbrook Academy’s thrusts</a> is mental health, which is an all-important issue that must be given more attention.</p><p>“There’s different parts of education that we’ve attacked here. Mental health is a huge part of our operation, our family services is a huge part of our operation. I just want to be able to bring something where kids come to school, enjoy, and have a fun and healthy learning environment,” Westbrook added.</p><p>Indeed, Russell Westbrook’s stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers may have been short-lived, and they may not have ended on the best of notes, but he knows<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/russell-westbrook-unveils-expanded-westbrook-182525159.html" rel="noopener"> the kind of legacy</a> he wants to leave in the community by investing in the next generation.</p><p>“I’m LA to the core and I want to represent LA wherever I go. To me, legacy is what you leave behind, not just for my family, but for the people you touch along the way, along your journey. And God has blessed me with this opportunity and platform to be able to do so. And I want to help as many people as possible,” Westbrook said, via FOX 11 Los Angeles.</p><h2>Russell Westbrook embraces new journey with the Nuggets</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Russell-Westbrook.jpg"></figure><p>It’s clear that time is running out on Russell Westbrook in his hunt for his first championship. Westbrook remains an athletic marvel, but the limitations of his game have made it difficult for his teams over the past few years to rely on him as one of their best players. With the Nuggets, however, Westbrook is going to take on the role of a spark plug off the bench, with Jamal Murray being the team’s nailed-on starter at point guard.</p><p>It remains to be seen, however, just how impactful of a player Westbrook will be for the Nuggets. He is a playmaker first and foremost who loves to push the pace and get to the rim — a useful player to have coming off the bench. But in the most crucial parts of games, will the Nuggets be able to reel Westbrook’s ego in and limit his role when his shot isn’t falling?</p><p>Whatever the case may be, Russell Westbrook might be in the best position he’s been in years to win big. The hope now is that he manages to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-inspiration-jersey-number-change">make it work with the Nuggets</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook opens Westbrook Academy in Los Angeles

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-offseason-workout-draws-mixed-fan-reviews');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets veteran Russell Westbrook’s offseason workout draws mixed fan reviews');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-news-Russell-Westbrooks-offseason-workout-draws-mixed-fan-reviews.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets veteran Russell Westbrook’s offseason workout draws mixed fan reviews</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-20T12:49:33-07:00">September 20th, 12:49pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-20T15:20:32-07:00">September 20th, 3:20pm</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Denver Nuggets signed veteran guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">Russell Westbrook to a two-year, $6.8 million</a> deal over the summer. The nine-time All-Star isn’t the same player he used to be, but while entering his 16th NBA season, the Nuggets are hoping he can help them return to the NBA Finals. Westbrook, 35, is already preparing for 2024-25. He appeared in a workout video posted by SLAM photographer BelikeMike’s Instagram page.</p><p>In the video, Westbrook <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1837170256692851143" rel="noopener">takes corner threes</a> with his feet touching the out-of-bounds line.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russell Westbrook in the lab putting in WORK 🧪</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/bellikemike?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@bellikemike</a>)<a href="https://t.co/hTdTTZfpcw">pic.twitter.com/hTdTTZfpcw</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1837170256692851143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Westbrook’s shooting triggered conflicting responses from NBA fans.</p><p>“Russ would be an all-star if he did that during the season,” <a href="https://x.com/mnorm2001/status/1837168586475065473" rel="noopener">one fan wrote</a> to his X, formerly Twitter, to which another fan <a href="https://x.com/Jahoops_/status/1837166576279162925" rel="noopener">replied</a>, “He is not that guy.”</p><p>“Never missing he’s a legend,” another fan added, who wasn’t clear if his comment was said in jest.</p><p>“He out of bounds dawg,” <a href="https://x.com/BoredCoinstar/status/1837166770911953105" rel="noopener">a fan astutely observed</a> from Westbrook’s three-point shooting</p><p>Westbrook averaged a career-low 11.1 points, shooting at 27.3% from deep, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists last season. 2023-24 marked the lowest 3-point shooting percentage of his career.</p><h2><b>Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps rip Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook signing</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-guard-Russell-Westbrook.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Denver Nuggets signed Russell Westbrook over the summer to improve their bench in 2024-25. After watching 2023 champion Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sign a three-year, $66 million contract with the Orlando Magic, the Nuggets reeled in a double-digit scoring guard with experience and in pursuit of his first NBA championship. However, some believe Westbrook should keep his three-point shooting days in the rearview mirror of his career, including ESPN analysts Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-ripped-by-espns-brian-windhorst-tim-bontemps">Windhorst and Bomtemps suggested Westbrook stop shooting threes</a>. Speaking on the Hoops Collective podcast, they explained why Westbrook’s outside touch <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1834048668816867696" rel="noopener">could hurt the offense</a> rather than help it.</p><p>“Their fourth-leading volume shooter was Reggie Jackson, who actually shot it pretty well. That’s the one thing he did well. They replaced him with Russell Westbrook who is literally the worst volume three-point shooter in the history of the NBA,” Bontemps said. “I mean, he shouldn’t shoot any.”</p><p>Windhorst strongly agreed with Bontemps.</p><p>“I wouldn’t let him shoot any more threes ever again quite honestly,” Windhorst said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ESPN's Tim Bontemps on the Nuggets: "Their 4th leading volume shooter was Reggie Jackson, who actually shot it pretty well… And they replaced him with Russell Westbrook, who is literally the worst volume 3-point shooter in the history of the NBA."</p><p>Brian Windhorst: "I wouldn't… <a href="https://t.co/rWz6WJNGHn">pic.twitter.com/rWz6WJNGHn</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1834048668816867696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Reggie Jackson, another free-agent guard the Nuggets let walk during the offseason, averaged 10.2 points and 3.8 assists while shooting 35.9% from three last season. The Nuggets traded Jackson to the Charlotte Hornets as part of a six-team sign-and-trade, including the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>In July, Jackson reached a buyout with the Hornets before signing a one-year, $3.3 million contract with the 76ers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets veteran Russell Westbrook’s offseason workout draws mixed fan reviews

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-ripped-by-espns-brian-windhorst-tim-bontemps');   ga('set', 'title', 'Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook ripped by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Nuggets-news-Russell-Westbrook-ripped-by-ESPNs-Brian-Windhorst-Tim-Bontemps.jpg"></figure><h1>Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook ripped by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-11T19:46:28-07:00">September 11th, 7:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-11T19:46:28-07:00">September 11th, 7:46pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a move to bolster the team’s bench following the departures of a few key players, the Denver Nuggets opted to sign Russell Westbrook to a two-year, $6.8 million deal following his trade and subsequent release from the Utah Jazz. Nikola Jokic was reportedly among the strongest voices that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-rumors-nikola-jokic-pushing-nuggets-russell-westbrook-trade">lobbied for the Nuggets</a> to bring the 2017 NBA MVP aboard, so there must be a vision in place that integrates Westbrook seamlessly into the winning machine in the Mile High City.</p><p>However, at this juncture of Westbrook’s career, he has one glaring weakness — his outside shooting. For as much as he impacts the game with his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-shows-off-new-denver-jersey">energy, speed, and playmaking</a>, Westbrook doesn’t command any respect from the perimeter, especially now that his midrange jumpshot has deserted him.</p><p>Despite <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1833705470831309080" rel="noopener">recent workout videos</a> showing Westbrook nailing triples with a smooth stroke, Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, speaking on the Hoop Collective Podcast, implored the Nuggets <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1834048668816867696" rel="noopener">not to let him take any threes</a> whatsoever.</p><p>“I wouldn’t let him shoot any more threes ever again quite honestly,” Windhorst said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ESPN's Tim Bontemps on the Nuggets: "Their 4th leading volume shooter was Reggie Jackson, who actually shot it pretty well… And they replaced him with Russell Westbrook, who is literally the worst volume 3-point shooter in the history of the NBA."</p><p>Brian Windhorst: "I wouldn't… <a href="https://t.co/rWz6WJNGHn">pic.twitter.com/rWz6WJNGHn</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1834048668816867696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Russell Westbrook is coming in to take the rotation spot of Reggie Jackson, whom the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/76ers-news-philadelphia-sign-reggie-jackson-hornets-buyout">Nuggets traded earlier in the offseason</a> and has since latched on with the Philadelphia 76ers. Westbrook is a high-risk, high-reward sort of player who can change games with the way he runs up and down the court and embraces the role of lockdown perimeter defender at this stage of his career, but Jackson, as Bontemps pointed out, is a much better three-point marksman.</p><p>“Their fourth-leading volume shooter was Reggie Jackson, who actually shot it pretty well. That’s the one thing he did well. They replaced him with Russell Westbrook who is literally the worst volume three-point shooter in the history of the NBA,” Bontemps said. “I mean, he shouldn’t shoot any.”</p><p>It will be interesting to monitor how the Nuggets make use of Westbrook’s helpful, albeit limited, skillset. But there is simply no way he should be coming in as a one for one swap with Jackson, as his playstyle is very different from that of the current 76ers guard.</p><h2><b>Will Russell Westbrook reel in the three-point attempts with the Nuggets?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Russell-Westbrook-and-Dallas-Mavericks.jpg"></figure><p>It was an unideal 2023-24 season for Russell Westbrook with the Los Angeles Clippers. He seemed to have gotten a new lease in life after signing with the team in February 2023, as he functioned as the primary playmaker on a team with a solid roll-man (Ivica Zubac) and plenty of shooters around them. But the Clippers’ decision to bring James Harden in relegated Westbrook to more of an off-ball role, something that quite frankly he isn’t suited to take on.</p><p>However, it’s fair to wonder just how much of a primary playmaker role Westbrook will be assuming for the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are going to command most of the touches for the team’s offense, as their two-man game remains the heartbeat of Denver’s offense. So how exactly will Westbrook fit alongside this dynamic?</p><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-tyronn-lue-reacts-to-russell-westbrooks-unfathomably-bad-struggles">2024 NBA playoffs showed</a>, putting Westbrook on the court alongside other ball-dominant players is a recipe for disaster. He shot 26 percent from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc in the Clippers’ first-round loss against the Dallas Mavericks, weighing down the team in the process.</p><p>Given Westbrook’s track record as a shooter, fewer three-point attempts per game from him would be ideal for the Nuggets. But Denver better put him in a position where he wouldn’t be taking too many triples as well, limiting his minutes whenever his shot is off so as to not expose Westbrook’s greatest weakness while dragging the team down along with it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook ripped by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim Bontemps

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-ryan-clark-lamar-jackson-patrick-mahomes-comments');   ga('set', 'title', 'Russell Westbrook’s response to Ryan Clark’s Lamar Jackson-Patrick Mahomes comments');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrooks-response-to-Ryan-Clarks-Lamar-Jackson-Patrick-Mahomes-comments.jpg"></figure><h1>Russell Westbrook’s response to Ryan Clark’s Lamar Jackson-Patrick Mahomes comments</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-09-06T22:59:55-07:00">September 6th, 10:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-09-07T15:56:20-07:00">September 7th, 3:56pm</time><address><a>Nathan Yasis</a>Nathan Yasis is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints, specializing in the NBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook posted a screenshot of a comment from his wife, Nina, where she defended him against criticism from former NFL safety Ryan Clark. On ESPN’s “Get Up,” Clark had made a negative comparison between Westbrook and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.</p><p>Nina Westbrook used Instagram to push back against the criticism her husband, Russell Westbrook faced after Ryan Clark’s comments. She voiced her frustration that Westbrook, currently with the Denver Nuggets, is being judged before the season even begins. Nina highlighted that both Westbrook and Lamar Jackson are remarkable talents, labeling them as “unicorns.”</p><h2><b>Nina Westbrook defending her husband Russell from Ryan Clark’s comments</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Russell-Westbrook-warming-up.jpg"><figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“My goodness! Just as a basketball fan, we couldn’t even wait for the NBA season to start up before the Russell slander begins?” Nina said.</p><p>“The only comparison to be made between Russell and Lamar [is] that they’re both unicorns and amazing at what they do,” she continued.</p><p>Nina suggested that critics should wait to pass judgment until they see Westbrook perform on the court.</p><p>“Before you start hating on Russell, at least let the basketball season start and let him miss a layup or something first. I’m still enjoying the peace and the silence,” she said.</p><p>The NFL season opener took place on Thursday night, with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Baltimore Ravens. Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson faced off throughout the game, but Mahomes’ team secured the victory. Westbrook <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1832241144597770744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1832241144597770744%7Ctwgr%5Ee923f38f85ee7bd7c558bb5fa14e6799df5ad4cf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwp.clutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D3021879action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">responded to those comments</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Russell Westbrook posted this message from his wife on his Instagram story after Ryan Clark took a jab at him in his Patrick Mahomes-Lamar Jackson segment. <a href="https://t.co/TUIFGrp1Tp">https://t.co/TUIFGrp1Tp</a> <a href="https://t.co/mkKZj6kn6u">pic.twitter.com/mkKZj6kn6u</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1832241144597770744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Ryan Clark’s Russell Westbrook – Lamar Jackson take</b></h2><p>On ESPN’s “Get Up,” <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ravens-news-lamar-jackson-gets-russell-westbrook-claim-from-ryan-clark">Clark criticized Lamar Jackson</a> by drawing a negative comparison to Russell Westbrook while discussing the game.</p><p>“Lamar Jackson, right now, is like Russell Westbrook, right?” Clark said.</p><p>“We watch Russell Westbrook throughout the regular season — and even in the playoffs — have these great statistical games, have this huge impact on what teams are doing. But you remember when he and Dame Lillard went head to head, and it got emotional. He couldn’t make a shot, right? Everything he was tryna aim — every time he was open, it was hittin’ the back of the iron,” he continued.</p><p>“It wouldn’t go in, and what did Dame Lillard do? At the end of the game, Dame Lillard side step, shot the 3, and he hit us with the [wave]. That’s the difference right now between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes,” said the former NFL safety.</p><p>The playoff series Clark mentioned was between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Portland Trail Blazers during the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. Lillard’s Trail Blazers defeated Westbrook’s Thunder in five games, with Lillard delivering a game-winning three-pointer in Game 5 to eliminate the Thunder.</p><h2><b>Westbrook joining the Denver Nuggets</b></h2><p>Russell <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nuggets-news-russell-westbrook-6-8-million-contract">Westbrook signed with the Denver Nuggets</a> as a free agent after departing from the LA Clippers and being waived by the Utah Jazz.</p><p>Westbrook bolsters the Nuggets’ point guard position, filling the gap left by Reggie Jackson’s move to Philadelphia and Collin Gillespie’s transfer to Phoenix. He will back up Jamal Murray, who missed 23 games last season.</p><p>NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned that Westbrook is expected to serve as a “spot-starter” for the Nuggets. Concerns about Murray’s health persist, as he averaged only six points per game, with a 41.2% shooting rate from 2-point range and a struggling 14.3% from 3-point range during his Olympics stint with Canada.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.1	5.0	4.5	0.3	1.1

2023-24 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.1	5.0	4.5	0.3	1.1

Russell Westbrook news

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