How can the Clippers best integrate Westbrook tactically?
Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2023 10:45 pm
Russell Westbrook is a complicated player in the sense that, every time he changes teams, there's an ideal to entertain in which he accepts a role more suited to his strengths (burst, explosiveness, shiftiness) to offset his loss of shooting touch and decision-making with the ball. But of course, we haven't really seen it happen, and it's largely due to that decision-making.
I'd say the closest we've seen to ideal situation for Westbrook since leaving OKC was Houston. Not a perfect fit next to Harden? Sure. Rockets technically better with him on the bench? Sure. You could argue Westbrook's fit anywhere will have problems. But I'd call Houston the best because it 1) was a D'Antoni-Harden offense with mega-spacing, which 2) promoted shots at the rim, and 3) as a result, Westbrook had the most efficient season of his career since his MVP.
His rate of FGAs within 3 feet halved when he joined the Wizards, and has only slightly improved with the Lakers. He's also started to take more floaters recently, perhaps as substitutes for longer shots, but he's not even knocking these down at a respectable rate. His output as the lead creator when LeBron James goes to the bench is concerning, to say the least. So what kinds of sets can the Clippers run to bring out Westbrook's better skills?
When the Lakers played the Celtics a few weeks ago, there was one play in OT that stood out to me. Lakers run something like an empty-side PNR for LeBron, and Westbrook is in the other corner. His defender (who might've been Grant Williams) was sagging off, and had his back to Westbrook and was preparing to help. Westbrook's a few seconds late to catch on, but once he realizes Williams's back is turned, he blows by and makes a put-back off LeBron's miss.
Again, there's an optimism that Westbrook can do this and do it often, though there's little evidence that it'll happen or dramatically improve his impact. 1) These plays don't come about like self-generated spots, and can be anticipated and stunted by savvier defenders; 2) Westbrook doesn't demonstrate quick reactions here; and 3) this works best, I think, next to PNR savants like LeBron, since you're not getting the same defensive 'looseness' on the strong-side corner. But if I had to guess, based on some of the plays I've seen, the potential for Westbrook's impact lies in some of this proactive thinking. More of this means fewer troubling decisions on the fly.
I'm obviously reluctant to entertain the idea that a player or team can dramatically change the way they play. And the general concerns of Westbrook's skills and fit aren't going away. But the Clips environment, in my guess, is his best chance to juice his efficiency back to 'below average' instead of 'really bad.' Being reductionistic, will Westbrook fit better with the Clippers' shooters than he did with LeBron's PNR mastery? He's probably having more spacing with the Clips, just in a different shape. So while there's a lot to sort out from a tactical perspective, and I'm not banking on a career revival here, there's probably a few threads to hang on if you're a Westbrook aficionado.
(Edit: Here's the play I referenced if you're interested: https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=31800&GameID=0022200749&PlayerID=201566&RangeType=0&Season=2022-23&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612747&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=game)
Westbrook's defender was actually Tatum. Williams is technically the help, and his back is turned, so Westbrook still blows by him. A great case of how he can exploit defensive reactions (or lack thereof) to his shooting.
I'd say the closest we've seen to ideal situation for Westbrook since leaving OKC was Houston. Not a perfect fit next to Harden? Sure. Rockets technically better with him on the bench? Sure. You could argue Westbrook's fit anywhere will have problems. But I'd call Houston the best because it 1) was a D'Antoni-Harden offense with mega-spacing, which 2) promoted shots at the rim, and 3) as a result, Westbrook had the most efficient season of his career since his MVP.
His rate of FGAs within 3 feet halved when he joined the Wizards, and has only slightly improved with the Lakers. He's also started to take more floaters recently, perhaps as substitutes for longer shots, but he's not even knocking these down at a respectable rate. His output as the lead creator when LeBron James goes to the bench is concerning, to say the least. So what kinds of sets can the Clippers run to bring out Westbrook's better skills?
When the Lakers played the Celtics a few weeks ago, there was one play in OT that stood out to me. Lakers run something like an empty-side PNR for LeBron, and Westbrook is in the other corner. His defender (who might've been Grant Williams) was sagging off, and had his back to Westbrook and was preparing to help. Westbrook's a few seconds late to catch on, but once he realizes Williams's back is turned, he blows by and makes a put-back off LeBron's miss.
Again, there's an optimism that Westbrook can do this and do it often, though there's little evidence that it'll happen or dramatically improve his impact. 1) These plays don't come about like self-generated spots, and can be anticipated and stunted by savvier defenders; 2) Westbrook doesn't demonstrate quick reactions here; and 3) this works best, I think, next to PNR savants like LeBron, since you're not getting the same defensive 'looseness' on the strong-side corner. But if I had to guess, based on some of the plays I've seen, the potential for Westbrook's impact lies in some of this proactive thinking. More of this means fewer troubling decisions on the fly.
I'm obviously reluctant to entertain the idea that a player or team can dramatically change the way they play. And the general concerns of Westbrook's skills and fit aren't going away. But the Clips environment, in my guess, is his best chance to juice his efficiency back to 'below average' instead of 'really bad.' Being reductionistic, will Westbrook fit better with the Clippers' shooters than he did with LeBron's PNR mastery? He's probably having more spacing with the Clips, just in a different shape. So while there's a lot to sort out from a tactical perspective, and I'm not banking on a career revival here, there's probably a few threads to hang on if you're a Westbrook aficionado.
(Edit: Here's the play I referenced if you're interested: https://www.nba.com/stats/events?CFID=&CFPARAMS=&ContextMeasure=FGA&EndPeriod=0&EndRange=31800&GameID=0022200749&PlayerID=201566&RangeType=0&Season=2022-23&SeasonType=Regular%20Season&StartPeriod=0&StartRange=0&TeamID=1610612747&flag=3&sct=plot§ion=game)
Westbrook's defender was actually Tatum. Williams is technically the help, and his back is turned, so Westbrook still blows by him. A great case of how he can exploit defensive reactions (or lack thereof) to his shooting.
