The career of NBA star and future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook has taken some strange turns over the last few years.
After spending his first 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he has had fruitless stints with multiple teams, and he will now be playing for his fifth squad in six seasons after the Los Angeles Clippers traded him to the Utah Jazz and the Jazz released him.
Westbrook is now a member of the Denver Nuggets, a team looking to regain its mojo after losing in the second round of the playoffs a year after winning the NBA championship.
He has worn jersey No. 0 for most of his career, but he will now reportedly wear No. 4 in Denver, per Etienne Catalan.
Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) will wear No. 4 for the #Nuggets. Number last worn by Hunter Tyson in 2024. #NBA pic.twitter.com/reho0vWdVF
— Etienne Catalan (@EtienneCatalan) July 26, 2024
Not too long ago, Westbrook was one of the most prolific basketball players ever when he averaged a triple-double in four out of five seasons starting with the 2016-17 campaign.
He won the regular season MVP and won his second scoring title during that 2016-17 season, and while his production has declined in recent seasons, he’s still a very viable rotation player.
In Denver, he will be asked to give what was a weak bench a much-needed boost.
The team lost starting shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this summer, and presumably, Christian Braun, one of its few decent bench players, will take Caldwell-Pope’s spot in the starting lineup.
Westbrook is still a force when attacking the paint and pushing the basketball in transition, but he remains a poor shooter more than a few feet away from the basket, and thus it will be interesting to see how he attempts to fit in with Nikola Jokić and crew.