Russell Westbrook's Selfless Act Has Helped Clippers Turn Season Around

Russell Westbrook entered the Los Angeles Clippers' practice facility through a side door last February before sitting down in front of a microphone to officially tip off the latest phase of his future Hall of Fame career. The nine-time All-Star point guard had just traded in a Lakers uniform to join his fifth team in as many seasons and now, at an introductory press conference, Westbrook wore—along with a smile—a T-shirt featuring the logo of L.A.'s other NBA team.

And over a 10-minute span, he repeated a line that would come to define his Clippers tenure.

"Whatever is asked of me, whatever they need me to do, I'll do it and do it to the best of my ability," Westbrook told reporters at the time.

A year later, and it's evident Westbrook wasn't simply rattling off clichés. But rather than just doing what is asked of him, the 35-year-old is taking it upon himself to do some of the asking. Amid a 3-7 Clippers start to the season that saw L.A.'s loaded lineup fail to mesh with newly acquired star James Harden, Westbrook approached coach Tyronn Lue about coming off the bench.

So the NBA 75th Anniversary Team member, former MVP and triple-double wizard has since taken on a new role—sixth man—in pursuit of his first-ever NBA championship ring.

And the Clippers are all the better for it.

"His energy off the bench—[if] we're not starting games well and we don't have that energy, he brings it every game," Lue said after Friday night's win over the Detroit Pistons. "He's saved at least five or six games with his energy, playing hard, competing, getting out in transition...Just a tribute to him and his hard work."

Going into Sunday night's 6 p.m. ET road game against the defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, the Clippers (32-15) are 29-8 since Westbrook exited the starting lineup in favor of a bench role. That includes an NBA-best 24-5 since the start of December.

The Clippers were initially out of sync after acquiring Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers at the end of October. Lue had been starting Westbrook, Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac together, and then often staggered Westbrook with George and Harden with Leonard as games went on. But the Clippers' four stars were outscored by 20 points in their 76 minutes of on-court action together, according to ESPN.

Westbrook's urge to turn into sixth-man spectacular was based on the thought that the Clips needed better first-unit chemistry, and a bench squad with—as Lue puts it—some "juice."

That scouting report, it turns out, was spot on.

Lue swapped versatile guard Terance Mann into the starting five for Westbrook on November 17, and the Clippers haven't looked back. And not only are the Clippers winning since then, they're thriving. Los Angeles is second in the NBA in offensive efficiency (122.0) since the switch and third in Net rating (7.7). And the Clippers' Big 3 of Harden, George and Leonard has a plus-18.9 Net rating in that span, per The Athletic.

Meanwhile, Westbrook is doing a little bit of everything, or perhaps more accurately whatever the Clippers need of him. That could be grabbing boards and swiping passes in a win over the Nuggets, dishing out double-digit assists against the Timberwolves or scoring 23 points in the team's most recent win over the Pistons.

"That's what it takes," Leonard said earlier this season of Westbrook's selfless approach.

Westbrook's scoring output in Detroit pushed him past the 25,000 mark for his career, and made him one of two players in NBA history—along with LeBron James, with 25,000+ points, 8,000+ rebounds, and 9,000+ assists, according to Sports Reference. The Clippers doused their accomplished teammate upon his postgame return to the locker room.

The ups-and-downs of the last year have seen Westbrook be traded by the Lakers and bought out to the Utah Jazz, only to return to L.A. and eventually embrace a new role—one that has helped the Clippers soar up the Western Conference standings.

As Westbrook walked off the court on Friday, game ball in hand, that journey came to mind. And it's not over yet.

"I'm so grateful to be on this team," Westbrook said, via the Associated Press. "I don't take any of this for granted."