Russell Westbrook will face former Thunder teammate Kevin Durant in a playoff series for the first time when the Clippers play the Suns on Sunday.
were racking up a luxury tax bill projected to cost nearly $150 million to assemble a roster regarded by many within the NBA as the league’s deepest, and as team owner Steve Ballmer was declaring the “sky’s the limit,” making the first round of the NBA playoffs would never have been something worth celebrating.
Now he will face off in the postseason for the first time against Kevin Durant, the perennial All-Star who made up the other half of their superstar duo for eight seasons in Oklahoma City. That opportunity was never a foregone conclusion with the Clippers, despite all their championship aspirations. Making the playoffs meant overcoming a five-game losing streak that began Westbrook’s Clippers tenure.
As opponents, Westbrook has averaged 28.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 5.5 turnovers while making 42% of his shots. Durant has averaged 32.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.7 turnovers while shooting 54% — including nearly 48% on three-pointers. In stark contrast, few teams seriously entertained rolling out the welcome mat for Westbrook. He was a former NBA most valuable player, like Durant, who had spent his career as a top option. While Durant had shown in Golden State and Brooklyn that he could mold his game around other stars’ needs, there were vocal concerns within the Clippers that Westbrook’s style of play would clash, rather than complement, their stars.
George’s injury has changed the calculus on what the Clippers have asked of Westbrook. In his first 12 games before George’s injury, Westbrook attempted 11 shots per game and averaged 13.3 points, 7.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 turnovers. His shooting resembled the kind that ultimately made his Lakers tenure untenable: 46% from the field, 25% on three-pointers.
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