Russell Westbrook expected to make Clippers debut on Friday

There was talk last summer of Westbrook seeing time as the first man off of the Los Angeles Lakers' bench this season, and after starting the first three games of the campaign (all losses), Lakers head coach Darvin Ham made the switch. In the second game of the season, the former MVP went 0-for-11 (including 0-for-6 on three-point attempts) in a loss to the Clippers.

Aside from some horrid shooting, Westbrook continued his career-long success as a ball distributor and active rebounder before being dealt by the Lakers. Less than two weeks after being traded to the Utah Jazz (and four subsequent DNPs), Westbrook and the team reached an agreement on a contract buyout and he signed with the Clippers.

In 52 games with the Lakers this season, the nine-time All-Star averaged a career-low 28.7 minutes per contest, while posting his lowest scoring average since his rookie season (15.9 points). His 65.5% free throw percentage was a career worst, and his 41.7% field goal percentage was the worst since his rookie campaign, but the 7.5 assists were better than last season's 7.1 (in nearly six fewer minutes per game.) His 6.2 rebounds helped, and the 3.5 turnovers per contest were his lowest in 10 years.

Clippers fans will have to wait and see how head coach Tyronn Lue divides point guard duties between Westbrook and Terance Mann. Mann, 26, has come off of a standout 2022 playoff performance to shoot a career-best 52.3% from the field and lead the team in games played (60), missing just one contest.

The Clippers (33-28) are fourth in the Western Conference standings, but are stuck in the middle of a large cluster of teams fighting for postseason seeding. They trail the second-place Memphis Grizzlies (35-23) by just 3 1/2 games, yet are only 4 1/2 games ahead of the 13th-place Lakers (28-32).