Former Wizards Guard Reinventing Himself in Playoffs

Finally, after nearly a half-dozen stops around the league, Russ appears to have found somewhere he belongs. The Denver Nuggets would be likely long-dead and buried without his hustle, intensity and playmaking, as he's finally learned how to help along the margins as a high-level role player.

If there's one other fanbase who's happy for Westbrook, it's that of the Washington Wizards, one of the only teams with whom both sides share fond memories.

His one year as a Wizard isn't often mentioned, sandwiched directly between his last All-Star appearance in a Houston uniform and his disastrous run with the Los Angeles Lakers, the point in his career where it had become glaringly obvious that his star had burned out.

He played at an All-Star level in Washington, averaging a triple-double for the fourth and final time in his career and propelling the Wizards into the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. They were quickly whisked away by the Philadelphia 76ers in five lopsided games, but the team hasn't been back dancing since trading Westbrook that following offseason.

The Hall of Famer's role in an offense is neatly unrecognizable four years later, but he's still undoubtedly himself. He's shooting the three better than he ever has, converting on 39% of his looks on over five tries per night, moving with intelligence on defense and making heady passes in the clutch. Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and noted playoff riser Jamal Murray have been winning Denver games for years, and Russ has made it a point to let the best Nuggets close.

He's not perfect, still prone to the occasional obvious pass-into-a-turnover and some out-of-control layup attempts in untimely situations, but even he seems aware of his effect on a game at this point in his career.

He's bought into a new kind of tertiary role, understanding that survival in the NBA sometimes means adapting to change. Jokic, Murray, Aaron Gordon and the rest of the core Nuggets have figured out what it takes to win, and Westbrook has given them all he has as a reinvented veteran.