David Adelman: “Russ is Russ”

On Saturday, the Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook delivered a performance that haunted his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers, hitting a crucial three-pointer late in regulation and making key defensive plays down the stretch to help his team secure a hard-fought overtime victory.

Westbrook, who was traded and waived by the Clippers last summer after spending over a season with them, played an instrumental role in the series opener, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists in nearly 35 minutes off the bench, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.

“Russ is Russ,” interim coach David Adelman said, highlighting Westbrook’s impact on both ends of the court. “Defensively he was absolutely incredible. He was playing free safety out there.”

Adelman credited Westbrook’s ability to disrupt the Clippers’ offensive flow, noting that his roaming defense contributed to the Clippers’ 20 turnovers.

While Westbrook might not have been credited with forcing all those turnovers, his presence on defense made a difference.

“I thought a lot of the reasons why the turnovers happened, even if it wasn’t him forcing it, just the way he was roaming around and impacting the game, it was great for us.”

On the offensive side, Westbrook’s aggression and drive didn’t go unnoticed, even if it didn’t always follow the team’s ideal execution.

“A couple of times I thought he attacked, maybe we could have pulled it out and executed, but that’s what Russ does,” Adelman explained.

“He’s going to play in attack mode. I don’t think he’s going to change after 17 years. If he sees somebody in front of him one-on-one, he’s going to attack, and he made an enormous three in the fourth.”

Despite the Clippers’ strategy of giving Westbrook room to shoot from the outside while limiting his ability to drive, he made his shots count when they mattered most.

Though he finished the game with a 5-of-17 shooting line, Westbrook’s clutch play was evident in the fourth quarter and overtime, as 10 of his points came in those decisive moments.

When asked about the Clippers’ defensive strategy against him, Westbrook remained focused on the bigger picture and declined to comment on their approach.

“We can talk about that more when we take care of business,” he said, signaling his determination to focus on the task at hand.