This doesn't change the end of the story, but the story may not have been what we thought. In mid-December 2023, Bleacher Report indeed reported that Russell Westbrook had proposed to the Clippers to become 6th man to make room for the new arrival, James Harden, in charge of the game. A few days later, the playmaker spoke “ of a true sacrifice for the good of the team “.
The day after the elimination of the Clippers against the Mavs, The Athletic today puts another version on the table. The 35-year-old was actually pushed by president Lawrence Frank to come off the bench to balance the squad. A much more difficult process behind the scenes than team officials let on publicly at the time.
If this idea did not come from him, one might wonder about the sequence of events. Does Russell Westbrook want to continue in this role, while the Clippers seem to want to keep this group in place?
A starting place elsewhere?
We recall that he had accepted a two-year offer for 8 million dollars, with a “player option” for the second year. A dizzying fall for a player whose emoluments had continued to increase during his career, reaching $47 million a year earlier. “ Do we get Russ back at minimum salary? It's a flight ! “, had even qualified Paul George.
In the game, his experience as a substitute was rather successful. His broken hand and his absence in March coincided with the poor form displayed by the Clippers over this period (six victories – six defeats). When he returned, the Californians had won seven wins in eight games. Despite these victories, Russell Westbrook often mentioned that he thought he could play more.
At 35, will he be tempted to look elsewhere, the Clippers' priority being to keep Paul George and James Harden? Knowing that there is no guarantee that another big team in the league will give him more responsibilities. Especially with his completely failed playoff series against the Mavs (6 points average at 26% success)…
| Russell Westbrook | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2008-09 | OKAY | 82 | 33 | 39.8 | 27.1 | 81.5 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 15.3 |
| 2009-10 | OKAY | 82 | 34 | 41.8 | 22.1 | 78.0 | 1.7 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 8.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 16.1 |
| 2010-11 | OKAY | 82 | 35 | 44.2 | 33.0 | 84.2 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 8.2 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 21.9 |
| 2011-12 | OKAY | 66 | 35 | 45.7 | 31.6 | 82.3 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 23.6 |
| 2012-13 | OKAY | 82 | 35 | 43.8 | 32.3 | 80.0 | 1.4 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 7.4 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 23.2 |
| 2013-14 | OKAY | 46 | 31 | 43.7 | 31.8 | 82.6 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 6.9 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 21.8 |
| 2014-15 | OKAY | 67 | 34 | 42.6 | 29.9 | 83.5 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 0.2 | 28.2 |
| 2015-16 | OKAY | 80 | 34 | 45.4 | 29.6 | 81.2 | 1.8 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 10.4 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 4.3 | 0.3 | 23.5 |
| 2016-17 ★ | OKAY | 81 | 35 | 42.5 | 34.3 | 84.5 | 1.7 | 9.0 | 10.7 | 10.4 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 5.4 | 0.4 | 31.6 |
| 2017-18 | OKAY | 80 | 36 | 44.9 | 29.8 | 73.7 | 1.9 | 8.2 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 0.3 | 25.4 |
| 2018-19 | OKAY | 73 | 36 | 42.8 | 29.0 | 65.6 | 1.5 | 9.6 | 11.1 | 10.7 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 23.0 |
| 2019-20 | HOU | 57 | 36 | 47.2 | 25.8 | 76.3 | 1.8 | 6.2 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 3.5 | 1.6 | 4.5 | 0.4 | 27.3 |
| 2020-21 | W.A.S. | 65 | 36 | 43.9 | 31.5 | 65.6 | 1.7 | 9.9 | 11.5 | 11.7 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 4.8 | 0.4 | 22.2 |
| 2021-22 | LAL | 78 | 34 | 44.4 | 29.8 | 66.7 | 1.4 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 18.5 |
| 2022-23 * | All Teams | 73 | 29 | 43.6 | 31.1 | 65.6 | 1.2 | 4.6 | 5.8 | 7.6 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 15.9 |
| 2022-23 * | LAL | 52 | 29 | 41.7 | 29.6 | 65.5 | 1.1 | 5.0 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 15.9 |
| 2022-23 * | LAKE | 21 | 30 | 48.9 | 35.6 | 65.8 | 1.4 | 3.4 | 4.9 | 7.6 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 0.5 | 15.8 |
| 2023-24 | LAKE | 68 | 23 | 45.4 | 27.3 | 68.8 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 11.1 |
| Total | 1162 | 34 | 43.8 | 30.4 | 77.6 | 1.6 | 5.5 | 7.2 | 8.2 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 21.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
