Kawhi Leonard stepped up to the podium on Tuesday night and answered questions about Russell Westbrook’s fit with the Los Angeles Clippers following the team’s latest loss.
Unfortunately, the Clippers are winless since Westbrook’s arrival — including a situation where Ty Lue was already forced to bench him. That is what led to Leonard stepping up to the podium following a consequential loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and addressing Westbrook's impact on the team.
“I think he is doing a good job,” Leonard said. “He is playing both ends of the floor… being aggressive…knocking down shots…getting into the paint, kicking out, so he’s playing good.”
Statistically, Westbrook had a fine game — 14 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds — but he always seems to have a decent stat line. Where he struggles is making a meaningful difference with wins and losses.
After the game, Westbrook admitted that he needed to be better.
Leonard, for his part, continued to preach patience.
“It’s a lot of new pieces here,” Leonard said. “Those guys are playing some minutes, so just learning the style of how T-Lue is coaching and our defense. You know could make some mistakes here and there. You could see our experience on court at times, but we just gotta keep building our chemistry with each other.”
Westbrook was quick to take a low-key jab at the Lakers following his Clippers signing, but it seems clear that he is having the same issues on his new team that he had on his old one.
The sample size is small, but the Clippers seemed better without Westbrook than with him. And the stats bear that out. When Terance Mann was the starting point guard, the Clippers went 10-2. Since Westbrook’s arrival, the team has recorded 62 turnovers.
The remainder of the NBA season will be an interesting one. It will tell fans a lot about where all parties involved will stand going forward.
If Westbrook can’t find a way to win with Leonard, Paul George and the Clippers, there likely isn’t going to be much of a place for him in the NBA after that.
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