Nuggets poised to be fifth straight team to sour on Russell Westbrook

Westbrook started off the Denver Nuggets era of his career by shooting an airball on his very first field-goal attempt. Things didn't improve after that, with Westbrook finishing 2-for-10 from the field and 1-for-6 from three-point range. For the game, the veteran guard posted six points, five assists and five rebounds, with the Nuggets being outscored by 24 points in his 21 minutes in their 102-87 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After Westbrook entered the game midway through the first quarter, OKC went on a 21-6 run to close the quarter. The Nuggets weren't shooting well as a team and the presence of Westbrook made their already-tight spacing even worse.

It's not that Westbrook didn't give effort. He showed some burst to the basket early and blocked two shots, giving a tantalizing glimpse of what Denver imagined when they signed Westbrook this offseason.

Since leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2019, Westbrook has shot 44.9% from the field and 29.7% from three-point range, while committing 3.7 turnovers per game. In that time, Westbrook has played for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, all of whom moved on from him within two seasons.

It's difficult to have an efficient offense in the modern NBA when a point guard can't make outside shots. Both the Rockets and Lakers retooled their offenses to account for Westbrook's driving ability and outside shooting futility, but that's a tough balance to maintain, especially in the playoffs. Since Kevin Durant left the Thunder, Westbrook's teams have gone 13-31 in the playoffs, while he has shot 29.6% from behind the arc.

While it's only one game, Westbrook is looking like a poor fit for the Nuggets, who lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Justin Holiday and Reggie Jackson this summer. That trio combined for 282 threes last season. Nikola Jokic admitted after the game that Denver was "not a good shooting team," aside from Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr.

The Nuggets still hope that Westbrook can help as a secondary ball handler, backing up or playing alongside Murray, but there's a reason the veteran guard is on his sixth team in the last seven seasons. If the Nuggets can't get more shooting elsewhere on the roster, Westbrook may end up on his eighth team after the trade deadline.