Russell Westbrick Discussion: Clipper Gonna Clip

Watching Bulls game.

In the 2nd half of Q1:
- Bulls go small with the tallest player at 6'6
- AD plays the whole quarter
- first 2 possessions: Lakers with 2 threes, Bulls with 2 made field goals in the paint
- we go for 5min with 7+ attempted threes and 0(!!!) attempts in the paint and no AD shots
- Bulls torching us in the paint with 7+ FGM there
- Russ comes in
- in 1min and a half makes 2 FG in the paint and an assist to a AD layup
- also steals/blks in a drive to the basket

This is the impact we want from him.
But I also don't want to lose the other angle, it's just poor management to fail to exploit AD in that context. It was hurtful to assist. Sometimes we look like an amateur team with no set plays prepared

 

We aren't taking advantage of the Russ/AD pick and roll as much as I imagined either. AD isn't setting good screens, he shows screen and bails out looking for the ball back for his jumper. The bigs that played with Russ liked him because if they set a good screen, he usually rewarded them with an easy lob, or a drive and dish back to them if he went to the cup. Jordan gets it, Russ makes him look like a decent threat when they run that action. AD is just a different type of bigman. He wants that jumper more than the lob. Not saying that he can't do it, but he doesn't do it enough. On the flipside, his stroke on that jumper is steadily getting better. It's something to watch moving forward, at the moment, it looks like the P&R with those two is more beneficial to AD than Russ.

 

He shot better than our shooters tonight. Played under control. Played faster. Got to the rim. Set the table with 15 dimes and only 3 TOs. That was the most impressive stat to me.

 

Hard to argue.

 

Russ is a baller, he isn't going to struggle forever. 15 dimes is getting it done at PG.

 

Well, I can't say that he was pathetic today. Bucks were just a better team today

 

He had a good game. I just can’t be happy about the fit until he plays well AND we win. Not just win once in awhile, but win like 7 out of 9 games.

 

Tough crowd

 

We aren’t here to applaud Westbrook’s long string of empty stats that lead to nothing. We care about the TEAM winning. Not just winning every other game. That’s why guys like Caruso and Reaves will always get much more love from the Front of the Jersey Fans because they sacrifice for the team. They couldn’t care less about their individual stats.

 

feel like he just looks old out there, tbh. i didn't see him a lot in washington last year, so i don't know how long he's looked old, but he looks old, like he aged 4 years since he was in houston or something. maybe it's communicable, too, as bazemore appears to have aged 11 years in the last 6 weeks.

 

19 pts and 15 dimes with 3 turnovers...if he plays like that, he can look as old as Methuselah IMO.

 

It just isn't his stats.

He did it all within the flow of the game.

He played well yesterday.

That third quarter specifically was very good.

 

He needs some of Lebron’s stash of adrenochrome from the triple 6 club. Might not be a member though.

 

my only gripe was that he missed a wide open three that could have changed the game, iirc. i guess that's what you get with him, though.

still like his on-ball defense way more than his off-ball defense, too. we need to find out how to maximize that.

 

I hear you.

My thoughts are: I didn't see him much in Washington. My expectations were different during the summer when the acquisition occurred.

Nevertheless, since he's been here, and we watch him daily, I have had to adjust my expectations from him.

He's clearly descending, but we can find ways to make it work for him.

That's where I'm at.