Russell Westbrook played only 26 games for the Los Angeles Clippers after being let go by the Los Angeles Lakers, but Tyronn Lue thinks those 26 games were big for them.
The coach said Brodie came like a savior for the team after another season was wasted with injuries to star players Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
"I love Russ from Day 1," Lue told the All The Smokes podcast by former NBA player Stephen Jackson.
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"He's a tough dude, tough-minded; what he did for our season, him, Plumlee, Bones, and Eric Gordon, what Russ did coming in the last 20 games of the season, he saved us. PG goes down, and he went to another level."
Stephen Jackson on Russell Westbrook: "He don't know me like that but I'll die for Russ."
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 26, 2023
Ty Lue: "I love Russ. From Day 1. What he did for our season, he saved us. PG goes down & he went to another level. I can be real with him, he can be real with him."
(via @shobasketball) pic.twitter.com/Pk5oSE9Rlj
The level Lue was talking about refers to Westbrook's performance in the first round of the playoffs against the heavily favored Phoenix Suns.
He averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in five games.
Keeping Westbrook
Re-signing Westbrook appeared to be the plan all along for the Clippers, even if the 2017 season MVP became unpopular in the last few seasons due to inefficiency.
Clippers president Lawrence Frank saw him differently, so they re-signed him last July 6.
"In the two months Russ spent with the team, he was everything we hoped he would be and more," Frank said.
"He made a huge impact on the court, with his play, and off it, with the urgency, intensity and professionalism he brings to the gym on a daily basis."
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