Russell Westbrook has spoken for the first time about joining the Clippers after the Lakers traded him away at the deadline. Westbrook said the main thing for him was being somewhere that he felt wanted.
“Being somewhere people want you and embrace you, that meant a lot to me,” he said.
In terms of what he would bring to the team, the former league MVP has this to say:
“Whatever’s asked me, I’ll do. I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”
Westbrook added that he wanted to push the pace and “keep the pace high”.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue, who is a longtime friend of Westbrook’s, said he just wanted “Russ to be Russ”.
When asked if his newest player would be a starter and what his role would be, Lue said “I view him as what you’ll see on Friday.”
Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists for the Lakers but the team eventually ran out patience with his shooting (41.7 percent), turnovers (4.4 per 36) and decision making.
But unlike the teams that had Westbrook on a maximum contract, the Clippers have much less to lose if things don’t work out considering they are paying him just $784,914.