Adding James Harden was supposed to take an already good Los Angeles Clippers team and make them into a great one that rivaled other NBA Finals contenders around the league. Six games into the Harden experiment, and the Clips have yet to win any of their matchups.
Harden’s addition has impacted Russell Westbrook, who’s seen his minutes per game drop from 34.4 MPG down to 27.6 since Harden entered the lineup.
Since Harden’s arrival, the Clippers have gone to a starting five featuring all four of their All-Stars, plus Ivica Zubac. Now, after an 0-6 start, Westbrook is asking to change his role from that of a starter to a contributor who comes off the bench, according to Chris Haynes.
Westbrook’s apparent reason, as explained by Haynes, is so that the starters can “establish some continuity.” Terance Mann is expected to take Westbrook’s spot in the Clippers’ starting five from now on.
- Russell Westbrook’s stats (2023): 14 PPG, 5.7 APG, 7 RPG, 1.9 SPG, 3.3 TOV, 46% FG, 31% 3PT
Meanwhile, Westbrook is now expected to come off the bench for the first time since joining the Los Angeles Clippers late last season. Westbrook, 35, has started 1,038 of the 1,104 NBA games he’s played in his career.
The nine-time All-Star and former NBA MVP can still get buckets in bunches, but perhaps it’s time to embrace life as a role player for the Clippers. Who knows, he might even enjoy a wildly successful stint as the team’s sixth man, much like Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams did as Clippers too.
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