2, the number of MVP winners and losses the Denver Nuggets have this season. Nikola Jokic’s 41 points couldn’t save the Nuggets against the LA Clippers. Russell Westbrook, a 17-year veteran, who was brought in to help the Nuggets with his hoops experience, struggled in the game. With a disappointing debut against his former franchise, OKC Thunder, his poor form continued against the Clippers as well.

2 is also the number of points Westbrook scored tonight. Fans who were happy about his arrival in Denver have now quickly turned their backs on him. Westbrook in the last 6 years has donned 5 different jerseys, which says something about the former MVP.

In none of these teams, he had a major impact. He was always made the scapegoat for the franchise’s failures. But was he really at fault? Well, LeBron James didn’t take it kindly when he was deemed a scapegoat, and came to his rescue and called him a “LEGEND”. 

After winning the title- coming close the next season- to reaching a point of stagnancy; this has shut down any talks of a dynasty for the Nuggets led by the Serbian. They’re already coping with the loss of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, their valuable shooting guard.

It was the Joker himself who wanted the 35-year-old Brodie in the ring-chasing phase of his career and Beastbrook appeared more than ready to accept a supporting role if it put him in a position to lay his hands on an NBA championship.

The Joker might’ve believed he could fully utilize Russell Westbrook’s signature explosiveness on cuts and drives and that the hooper would be willing to take on a versatile, unselfish role for the Nuggets. Brodie would likely lead the second unit and could also play alongside Jamal Murray as an additional ball-handler. But his performances in the 2 games REALLY aren’t encouraging.

Will Russell Westbrook turn into a ‘scapegoat’ again, this time for the Nuggets? Fans point out hooper’s inefficiencies already…

“Russ has no plan when he drives half of the time,” tweeted a user expressing his dissatisfaction with Mr. Triple Double. Once known for finishing powerfully, often above the rim, the 35-year-old now heads toward the hoop, leaps, and finds himself unsure of his next move with the ball. Well, this user had it coming, but when Westbrook signed for the Nuggets, he took a shot at the Lakers and the Clippers.

“I’d say that the Lakers and Clippers orgs were dysfunctional and full of injuries and bad fits. Russ is making a minimum in a place where the best players all move the ball,” this same X user had tweeted in July.

The Lakers’ and Clippers’ fans dug into this tweet and had a field day with it. “Only six quarters in and Denver fans are singing a different tune,” tweeted a Lakers fan, who was quick to expose his hypocrisy. Another Lakers fan demanded an apology for thinking that the Lakers and the Clippers were the problem. “Just apologize and we’ll forgive you,” he tweeted.

“Rockets Lakers and Clipper fans have been saying this for years lol. This isn’t new,” said another netizen. Considering Westbrook was good for the Houston side, this statement makes Brodie’s case even worse than it is. In his sole season with the Rockets, he averaged 27.2 points per game and shot 47.2% of his field goals.

One user even went ahead and said, “Lowest IQ in NBA history”. Russell Westbrook’s production has seen a decline as his shooting inefficiencies and decision-making limitations have become more evident (3p shooting accuracy dropped from 35.6% in 2022-23 to 27.3% last season). With Stephen Curry and the Warriors leading the charge in revolutionizing the game, Beastbrook is still stuck in the past. “Basketball has evolved but Russ hasn’t evolved with it,” said one user pointing out the same.

“Nuggets lose again at home as Westbrook goes 0-8 and 0-3 from 3. No coincidence.” In the narrow loss, Westbrook went 0-for-8 on his shots and embarrassingly held his team’s worst plus-minus at -13, mirroring his forgettable performance from opening night. Russell is the type of player who’s often caught in scoreless ruts, whether that’s in connection to shooting or not.

It will take the Denver Nuggets some unwinding to get their top acquisition back to the scoring mill. No one can deny the quality the hooper possesses on his day, he’s an MVP title holder after all. But what do you think’s going to happen with Jokic and Co.?