3 Russell Westbrook Lineups That Could Revive the Nuggets and His Career

The Denver Nuggets’ offseason has been the subject of much criticism.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left as a free agent, and the Nuggets haven’t looked for a replacement. Even if you’re absolutely certain that Christian Braun is the next starter, who will replace Braun on the second unit? There will be those who say Julian Strawther is being truthful, but the fact is that Denver has now spared two key players in consecutive years — Bruce Brown last year and now KCP. Both were essential to the Nuggets winning a title in 2023.

Caldwell-Pope is a monumental loss. He’s one of the NBA’s best defensive wings, and his three-point shooting was a natural fit alongside Nikola Jokic. What’s more, the Nuggets haven’t made any significant improvements this offseason. Their new backup center, DaRon Holmes, tore his Achilles in his Summer League debut. Their other new backup center, Dario Saric, has struggled in the playoffs, which has been a source of consternation over the past few years.

The only other major addition to the Nuggets rotation is Russell Westbrook, who arrives with a fair few skeptics ready to celebrate his demise. His final season with the Los Angeles Clippers was a complete disaster. Russ seemed to be bothered by his small role, even though he didn’t do a great job in it. Scoring efficiency is a huge question mark for Westbrook at this point in his career, and he’s generally one of the worst defenders on the court on any given night.

Unfortunately, Nikola Jokic vouched for Westbrook, and it’s clear the Nuggets targeted him from the start. If you don’t think about it, yes, there are some attractive elements to this acquisition. Westbrook brings athleticism and rim pressure that were previously lacking in the Nuggets’ backfield. He can change the tempo of the game and put a ton of pressure on the defense in transition.

Denver’s backup point guard situation wasn’t great last season. Westbrook isn’t worse than Reggie Jackson. We’ve written Westbrook off before and we’ve been collectively proven wrong. So, hey, maybe this will work. Here are a few lineup combinations that could play to Westbrook’s unique strengths.

Denver isn’t equipped to field a great defense, so why not take advantage of Westbrook’s speed and simply outscore teams? We’ve seen more and more three-guard lineups ingrained in the NBA. More than ever, the league relies on skill at every position.

This lineup surrounds Westbrook with a lot of shooters AND playmaking aplenty. Westbrook may consider himself a natural point guard, but at this point it’s unwise to leave the offense entirely in his hands. Westbrook has limited off-ball value — both because he can’t shoot and because he stubbornly refuses to cut or move without a rock — but even then he’s at his best in a secondary role. Let Westbrook attack rotational defenses on catch-and-catch and rebound. In the half-court, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic can steer the ship.

Trey Alexander went undrafted in June and signed a two-way contract, so his inclusion here probably sounds overly optimistic. In any case, the fit is clean. Alexander has incredible range for a point guard, is a deep 3-point shooter, and was comfortable bouncing between on- and off-ball duties at Creighton. He has the potential to rise through the ranks in Denver and potentially earn a permanent contract before the end of the season. The Nuggets would greatly benefit from a backup point guard who can score in bursts and defend decently in the half.

Jokic and Gordon are traditional anchors and should probably be on the court as much as possible when Westbrook is on the court. Jokic is the wave that lifts all boats; Gordon is Denver’s best perimeter defender and a critical secondary scorer in his own right.

G: Russell Westbrook
G: Jamal Murray
F: Christian Braun
F: Michael Porter Jr.
F: Aaron Gordon

If the Nuggets want to give Westbrook the keys, so to speak, and use him while Jokic takes over, expect to see a lot of small-ball play from the Nuggets this season. We’ve seen Aaron Gordon as the No. 5 pick in each of the last two playoff runs. Denver is comfortable with that look, even if the success has fluctuated with Jokic on the bench.

Gordon could serve well as an emergency rim protector and switchy big. Christian Braun and Jamal Murray will handle the primary defensive duties on the perimeter, while Westbrook and Michael Porter Jr. are more or less hidden on that end of the court.

Offensively, there’s plenty of reason to believe this lineup could flourish. Murray helps share the playmaking load with Russ, while Gordon’s ability to run the floor and finish vertically pairs well with Westbrook’s fast-paced approach. This Nuggets lineup can run, run, run, while Jokic’s lineups tend to be a bit more slow-paced. That’s not to say Jokic doesn’t have his own transition value — we’ll see a lot of Jokic-to-Westbrook pass-outs this season — but Gordon can run alongside Westbrook in the fast-paced attack while Porter, Braun, and Murray stay behind and take 3s.

It’s an incredibly entertaining lineup on paper. The defensive concerns without the 7-footer are serious — rebounding will be an issue even with Russ on the boards — but in terms of pure entertainment value, this lineup sets the stage for the Westbrook of old to emerge. He’ll never reach MVP levels again, but Russ can still roll down the court with the speed and brute force of a bowling ball. Surround him with enough shooting and a group that has established, winning chemistry, and it won’t be so bad.

G: Russell Westbrook
G: Jamal Murray
F: Michael Porter Jr.
F: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Jokic

That’s probably the best way to isolate Russ. Keep him tied to the starters. It wouldn’t be surprising if Denver’s starting reserve swapped Braun for Westbrook in multiple games, allowing the nine-time All-Star to join forces with the Nuggets’ core. The fit is tighter than in Los Angeles, so there’s a chance Westbrook can live up to his reputation even if he doesn’t score or defend at a high level.

The Nuggets offense has lacked a true powerhouse outside of Nikola Jokic in the playoffs. Jamal Murray has been injured all summer, even returning to the playoffs in 2024. When he’s fit, Murray is a living source of creativity, but we haven’t seen the best of Murray in a while. Westbrook can pressure the rim, break down defenses and kick ball movement. He’s still a very willing, if picky, playmaker, and again, the transition element is there. Jokic loves to throw edge passes to a teammate sprinting down the sideline. Westbrook is born for the job.

It will be fascinating to see how Jokić and Russ’ game evolves after the former took on Westbrook in the summer. We never heard any reports of Jokić lobbying the front office for a player until Westbrook came along. It’s hard to imagine Jokić caring about basketball in his free time. It’s even harder to understand what drew him to a player whose style has been so at odds with Jokić’s in recent years.

I’m inclined to trust Jokic’s judgment. We all ruled out Russ after his one-year stint in Houston, and then he led the Wizards to the playoffs. Russ failed with the Lakers, but there were significant good stretches with the Clippers, even if the James Harden trade ultimately made the fit too complicated.

Russ is a very flawed player in the twilight of his career. Denver fans certainly shouldn’t set their expectations too high. Still, there’s still some credibility in the idea that Westbrook’s athleticism and attacking mentality can help the team’s second unit. If he’s going to succeed anywhere at this point in his career, it’s probably in Denver, alongside a three-time MVP.