The Nuggets did not anticipate a 4-3-3.5 stat line after two games when they signed Russell Westbrook in the off-season. Denver has felt the absence of his bench impact, leaving the team scrambling for a way to win after starting the series 0-2. Despite that, his former Clippers teammate had nothing but praise for the guard. Following the Nuggets vs Clippers game, James Harden shared some kind words for Westbrook.

“We’re both inner-city L.A. kids,” Harden said after Saturday’s game. “When it’s all said and done, we’ll be in the Hall of Fame. That’s a story right there.” But that couldn’t save Westbrook from the barrage of criticism coming his way. Now even a reputed analyst called him out for the poor start in Denver.

Former Ringer analyst, Kevin O’Connor took to X to compare the Nuggets’ offensive rating with and without their star player, Nikola Jokic. While Jokic’s presence boosted the rating to 110.1, the team’s performance dropped to 54.9 during the 24 minutes he was off the court. O’Connor noted that Russell Westbrook played for 22 of those 24 minutes. But that was not it. He concluded the post with a sly remark, “Lakers and Clippers fans saw this coming,” taking a dig at the veteran point guard. Sean Davis joined him in the banter.

The High School basketball assistant coach retweeted Kevin’s post and stated, “Nah so you see Kevin, this is Jokic’s fault. He’s taking the ball out of Russ’s hands. Russ needs to be put in a situation that will maximize him!!!” He reminded how the blame game is played when Westbrook fails to perform. The fans too couldn’t hold themselves back from participating in his miseries.

Analyst’s shade receives fan backing as Russell Westbrook gets torched for tough start

“I will never ever ever ever ever understand why coaches tolerate Russ shooting threes,” wrote a fan in Kevin’s comment section, frustrated with Westbrook’s shooting. “He should be benched and fined every time he lets one fly, and all of his three-point attempts should be statistically recorded as turnovers.” The 35-year-old hit just one three-pointer out of nine attempts across the two games against Denver, struggling with his shooting. His 18 shots from the field also unimpressed the supporters as he could just get two of them on target.

Someone expressed their desire to have Kentavious Caldwell-Pope back and questioned Westbrook’s trade, “Don’t Know Why Teams Keep Signing Him.” KCP had a deeper impact on the Denver side last season supporting Jokic from both ends of the court. However, he entered free agency this summer and left for the Magic. The Nuggets tried to fill his void by including Russ in the roster, which isn’t working yet.

Another fan agreed with them, saying, “If you want to destroy your team, sign russell westbrick,” knowing how sensitive Westbrook is about his name. Annoyed with the Nuggets GM, the fan added, “What in the world did Calvin Booth see in Westbrick that other teams did not see? We need explanation from CB. He needs to have a press conference to answer this question.”

After winning the championship title in 2023, Booth clarified that their goal was to sustain at the top level rather than winning consecutive titles. “I just want dudes that we try to develop, and it’s sustainable,” the GM said via The Ringer. “If it costs us the chance to win a championship (in ’23-24), so be it. It’s worth the investment. It’s more about winning three out of six, three out of seven, four out of eight than it is about trying to go back-to-back.” So, the aim is pretty clear here.

“What is his legacy?” questioned a fan. “A triple-double machine with an MVP title, but also one of the worst players on the last three teams he’s been on.” There’s no doubt that Westbrook has built an impressive career in the league. With his outstanding scoring abilities, he has won the NBA scoring title twice, an MVP award, and three NBA Assist Leader trophies, among countless other achievements. However, he couldn’t do justice during his time at the Los Angeles franchises.

Despite the accusations and backlashes, some people are willing to root for Westbrook. On the first preseason game between the Celtics and Nuggets, the Boston commentator, Brian Scalabrine, made his side evident during the game. Blaming the Lakers for making Westbrook a scapegoat in their downfall, Scalabrine said that Russ still has “the heat” to keep going and hoped for him to shoot “a bunch of threes” against the Lakers. So, there could still be opportunities for Westbrook to unleash his beasts and show his doubters what he’s capable of as there’s a lot of time left in the season.