Westbrook closed Wednesday's 141-132 win over the Grizzlies with 36 points (13-18 FG, 5-5 3Pt, 5-9 FT), four rebounds, 10 assists and two blocks over 35 minutes.
With Paul George (knee) and Kawhi Leonard (personal reasons) out, Westbrook led the Clippers' offense. His 36 points were a season high, as were his five made triples. He picked up another double-double, as he has double-digit assists in consecutive games, a first in a Clipper uniform. With George out for the last five games, Westbrook has averaged 20.2 points per game. Even when Leonard returns, Westbrook is going to get the opportunity to produce as a secondary option.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Drops 24 points in win
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Westbrook posted 24 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 6-8 FT), two rebounds, seven assists and one block in 30 minutes during Thursday's 127-105 victory over the Thunder.
With Paul George (knee) out of action, Westbrook served as Los Angeles' de facto No. 2 offensive option behind Kawhi Leonard. The veteran point guard rose to the challenge, finishing second on the team in scoring and tying for the lead with seven assists. Westbrook figures to continue to see ample room for production with George expected to miss multiple weeks, so he should be able to improve upon the 10.9 points per game he was averaging across his previous seven contests entering Thursday.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Keeps production up in loss
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Westbrook totaled 15 points (6-10 FG, 0-3 3Pt, 3-5 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block across 26 minutes during Tuesday's 101-100 loss to the Thunder.
After making just one-third of his field-goal attempts over the previous three games, Westbrook showed improved efficiency Tuesday, at least from the field. His assist production surprisingly took a big hit, but expect a bounce back in that department -- as well as the scoring column -- at least for the short term, as Paul George (knee) exited late in the contest with an injury that is expected to cost him time. Kawhi Leonard will be locked in as the Clippers' clear No. 1 options sans George, but players like Westbrook, Eric Gordon and Marcus Morris should all be thrust into more responsibility on the offensive end.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Just misses triple-double
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Westbrook notched nine points (3-12 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 12 rebounds and 10 assists in 34 minutes during Sunday's 117-102 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Westbrook was one point shy of a triple-double, but he was woeful from the field and committed four turnovers, giving him 10 total over his past two appearances. The veteran point guard's tenure with the Clippers has been a mixed bag. He's averaging 13.1 points, 7.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 3.8 turnovers across 11 games with his new team, and after Los Angeles dropped its first five games with Westbrook in town, the Clippers have now won five of six matchups and sit in fifth place in the Western Conference.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Produces turnover-free line
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Westbrook finished with 15 points (6-16 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 1-2 FT), nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals across 27 minutes in Wednesday's 134-126 win over the Warriors.
Westbrook's stat line contained its usual poor shooting from the field and poor shooting from the free-throw line, but it was noticeably lacking in any turnovers. While absence of turnovers was an unexpected outcome for Westbrook on a night he played nearly 30 minutes and took on a 25.3 percent usage rate, fantasy managers shouldn't expect mistake-free basketball from the veteran point guard with any sort of regularity. Even though he's still been taking a back seat to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George since joining the Clippers, Westbrook is still averaging 3.6 turnovers per game through nine appearances with his new team.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Only 23 minutes in victory
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Westbrook finished with seven points (3-8 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-3 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 23 minutes during Saturday's 106-95 victory over New York.
Westbrook was limited to just 23 minutes in the win, a trend that now spans two straight games. Coincidently, the Clippers have won both games in which Westbrook has been limited. Perhaps the coaching staff has figured out that his on-court impact is modest. While it appears that he will remain with the starting unit, Westbrook's fantasy value will take a big hit if he settles in around only 23 minutes per night.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Falls back to earth in win
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Westbrook produced nine points (4-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 1-1 FT), five rebounds, six assists and one steal in 34 minutes during Sunday's 135-129 victory over the Grizzlies.
Although Westbrook played 34 minutes, he lacked shooting opportunities and couldn't anything going in the scoring column. He did manage five rebounds and six assists, which saved an otherwise mediocre line.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Bounces back against Kings
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Westbrook provided 27 points (12-16 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 2-5 FT), two rebounds, 10 assists, two blocks and one steal across 35 minutes during Friday's 128-127 loss to the Kings.
Westbrook was coming off a subpar eight-point, six-assist performance against the Warriors on March 2, but he bounced back less than 24 hours after that woeful game to deliver a double-double. Westbrook has three double-doubles in five outings with the Clippers.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Subpar performance Thursday
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Westbrook posted eight points (3-12 FG, 0-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT) and six assists over 28 minutes during Thursday's 115-91 loss to Golden State.
Westbrook was largely ineffective in Thursday's loss, ending with more field-goal attempts than points while failing to contribute in a big way in other categories. He was coming off two double-doubles in his previous three starts with the Clippers and is averaging 14.0 points, 8.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game since joining Los Angeles.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Double-doubles in starting role
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Westbrook totaled 14 points (5-11 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, 10 assists and one steal over 28 minutes during Tuesday's 108-101 loss to the Timberwolves.
Westbrook appears to have a firm hold on the starting job with the Clippers. This development certainly compromises managers who have Terance Mann on their roster. To Westbrook's credit, he's played exceptionally well in his first three games with the Clippers, averaging 16.0 points, 9.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and an impressive 2.3 steals since joining the team.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Racks up five steals vs. Nuggets
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Westbrook totaled 17 points (6-10 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 4-4 FT), five rebounds, four assists and five steals across 25 minutes during Sunday's 134-124 overtime loss to the Nuggets.
Westbrook played 39 minutes during his Clippers debut in Friday's double-overtime loss to Sacramento, but he was on the court for just 25 minutes during Sunday's overtime defeat. He was unable to record a second consecutive double-double, but he matched his highest steal total of the season. The 34-year-old should have more opportunities to contribute now that he's starting with his new team.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Hands out 14 assists in debut
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Westbrook fouled out of Friday's 176-175 double-overtime loss to Sacramento after recording 17 points (7-13 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 2-2 FT), 14 assists, five rebounds and one steal over 39 minutes.
Making his Clippers debut, Westbrook unseated Terance Mann as the team's starting point guard. While he struggled on the defensive end, Westbrook hit a clutch basket in the final 15 seconds of regulation and facilitated well all evening. His fantasy value has been all over the place this season, but if his usage Friday is any indication, he's going to see plenty of ballhandling responsibilities while serving as a third scoring option behind Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Expected to start Friday
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Westbrook is expected to start Friday against the Kings, Law Murray of The Athletic reports.
Westbrook came off the bench in all but three of his appearances with the Lakers this season, but he'll join the starting unit with his new team while Terance Mann comes off the bench Friday. The 24-year-old averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 assists and 6.2 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game with the Lakers to begin the year, but he was traded to the Jazz and agreed to a buyout with Utah before joining the Clippers.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Expected to play Friday
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Westbrook (recently signed) is absent from the injury report and is slated to make his Clippers debut Friday against the Kings, Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Westbrook will make his first appearance in a Clippers uniform Friday after being bought out by the Jazz following the trade deadline. Coach Tyronn Lue was unwilling to speak about how Westbrook will fit into the Clippers' rotation, so fantasy managers shouldn't rule out Westbrook joining the first unit. Regardless, fewer opportunities will likely be available for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Uncertain to play Friday
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Westbrook is expected to finalize his contract with the Clippers late Wednesday or early Thursday, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Westbrook has already agreed to a buyout with the Jazz and will formally join the Clippers once he officially clears waivers. Depending on the timing of when he's able to put pen to paper on a deal with the Clippers, Westbrook could practice with his new team Thursday, which would likely put him on track to make his team debut Friday against the Kings in the Clippers' first game out of the All-Star break. If Westbrook doesn't join the team for practice by Thursday, however, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue could wait until Sunday's game in Denver to break the veteran point guard into the rotation. Since Westbrook's signing isn't yet official, Lue and the Clippers brass haven't yet commented whether the nine-time All-Star will usurp Terance Mann as the team's starting point guard, or if he'll settle into the sixth-man role he had filled with the Lakers earlier in the season.
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Clippers' Russell Westbrook: Secures buyout, joining Clippers
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Westbrook finalized a contract buyout with the Jazz on Monday and plans to sign with the Clippers upon clearing waivers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Along with the Bulls, the Clippers were considered one of two frontrunners to sign Westbrook if he became a free agent, and L.A. and the veteran point guard had been negotiating for the past several days. Clearing waivers is merely a formality for Westbrook, who will end up sticking around in Los Angeles after the Lakers shipped him to Utah ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline. It's unclear what immediate role Westbrook will have with the Clippers, though it may make sense for head coach Tyronn Lue to keep the 34-year-old in the bench role he filled for the Lakers since L.A. already have two ball-dominant players in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the starting five. In terms of fantasy implications, Westbrook's arrival will likely have a negative impact on supporting players like Norman Powell, Terance Mann and Marcus Morris. The veteran guard is yet another addition for a Clippers squad that nearly overhauled its entire second unit at the trade deadline, as the team had already acquired Eric Gordon, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee earlier this month.
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Jazz's Russell Westbrook: Begins conversations with Clippers
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Westbrook, upon receiving permission from the Jazz, has begun speaking with Clippers franchise officials about signing with the team following a potential buyout from Utah, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Neither the Jazz nor Westbrook seem to have interest in the veteran suiting up for Utah, so the point guard will be allowed to speak to other teams regarding a potential fit. The Clippers and Westbrook will presumably discuss his potential role, whether that involves starting or coming off the bench, but either opportunity would give the point guard a shot at playing for a title. Westbrook has shown the potential to be productive in somewhat limited action -- 15.9 points, 7.5 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 28.7 minutes per game this season -- but it's mostly a help for fantasy managers in points leagues. The veteran's shooting percentages are awful, with splits of 42/30/66, so it's hard to roster him in many category formats. It's unlikely that a move to the Clippers would meaningfully improve Westbrook's production. If anything, it probably represents a downgrade, given how highly the organization views Terance Mann and the wealth of other scoring and playmaking options compared to the Lakers.
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Jazz's Russell Westbrook: Taking time to decide on future
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Westbrook, who remains out for Saturday's game against the Knicks, met with Jazz management after being acquired from the Lakers on Thursday and is expected to take time prior to the All-Star break before deciding whether to pursue a buyout with Utah or to remain with the team for the rest of the season, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Though the Jazz sit at 28-29 and would hold a spot in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament if the season ended Saturday, they were sellers at the trade deadline, moving three rotation players (Mike Conley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley) and taking back no others, with the possible exception of Westbrook. According to Wojnarowski, the Jazz intend to prioritize the development of younger players and have given no assurances to Westbrook regarding what his role or minutes count may look like if he chooses to stick around, though Utah is currently lacking an obvious backup option at point guard behind Collin Sexton, who has stepped into the starting five in place of Conley. The backup job could thus be Westbrook's for the taking, but only if the 34-year-old is willing to forgo a buyout. While the Bulls, Clippers and Heat have been rumored as possible suitors if the Jazz do buy him out, Westbrook may have to give up a considerable portion of the money remaining on his $47.06 million salary for 2022-23 if he wants to become a free agent. Expect a resolution on Westbrook's future to come within the next week or two.
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Jazz's Russell Westbrook: No debut coming Saturday
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Westbrook isn't with the Jazz for Saturday's game in New York, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Westbrook will skip his second straight game since the Jazz acquired him from the Lakers on Wednesday, and it's highly likely Utah will buy him out in the near future. It's best to consider him doubtful to take the floor while he remains in the current organization, but more information should surface if anything changes.
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Jazz's Russell Westbrook: Won't play Friday
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Westbrook (trade) won't make his Jazz debut Friday versus the Raptors, Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Westbrook was dished to the Jazz on Wednesday as part of a three-team deal that sent numerous players to new locations among the Jazz, Lakers and Timberwolves. The veteran guard won't be in uniform Friday, and there is a significant chance he's bought out before ever donning a Utah uniform. At the very least, he won't take the floor in Toronto on Friday and seems unlikely to play Saturday in New York, either.
