Russell Westbrook’s Defensive Tenacity Was Paramount For LA Clippers In Game 1

If you had told anyone the Clippers would get a 3-of-19 shooting performance from Russell Westbrook in Game 1, especially playing shorthanded with an All-NBA level wing sidelined, the major question would be how quickly the game entered garbage time. Or what adjustments LA would have to make to prevent a 0-2 deficit.

But, as we’ve seen multiple times since Westbrook was acquired by the Clippers in the mid-February buyout market, he still found avenues to make a difference. If there’s one thing he’s consistently brought to all five organizations he’s been a part of, it’s the mindset to be an inexorable force on the court. He could be having his worst day at the office, and the only thing he’s worried about is the next 24 seconds ahead. The next possession. The next opportunity to create chaos and make opponents want to pull out their hair.

Nothing was going Westbrook’s way offensively during his first 34 minutes of action. Ill-advised pull-ups were being hoisted at the defenses’ request. His shots weren’t dropping regardless of the open space, with each clank off the rim inviting his defender to take another step away from him on the ensuing possession.

Suddenly, after an impressive shooting stretch for the Clippers to finish the regular season, Westbrook was staring in the face of regression. Serious regression. In a close road battle with the Phoenix Suns, considered the West favorites heading into the playoffs, Ty Lue was tasked with a decision. With Westbrook struggling, the Clippers had an opportunity to tap into their depth and use another guard in his spot during crunchtime.

Instead, Lue trusted the 15-year veteran to close the game, and it led to a road victory to open the series — something this team hasn’t experienced during his coaching tenure. Although Lue has primarily leaned toward his best offensive groups in those moments, believing his team needs optimal spacing for Kawhi Leonard, he stuck with Westbrook for an entirely different reason. Against a team that isn’t exactly the most physical or the fastest unit on either end, the Clippers benefited from Westbrook’s athleticism and uncanny ability to play every possession like his well-being depended on it.

With 2:42 left in the fourth quarter and the Clippers leading by a single point, Westbrook’s energy yielded positive results.

As Eric Gordon launched a three from the left wing, Westbrook charged into the paint and executed a brilliant ‘swim move’ around Torrey Craig, who was attempting to box out for the rebound. Grabbing a one-handed offensive board of this magnitude — leading to a Kawhi Leonard spot-up three after resetting — is precisely why Westbrook is valued by the coaching staff:

Westbrook finished the game with 10 rebounds, five coming on the offensive glass (six if you include one that he nearly grabbed before tipping it out of bounds off a Phoenix defender) and constantly gave the Clippers extra opportunities down the stretch of the fourth. Whether it was moving defenders out of the way, reading which direction the ball was going to bounce, or leaping over the top to secure them, Westbrook would not be denied.

When asked postgame about what allows him to be such a potent offensive rebounder in critical moments, Westbrook acknowledged a lot of it comes down to “heart.” He also mentioned the importance of reading each situation and doing the dirty work for his team.

“It’s timing, it’s the will to win and being able to make plays,” he said. Understanding time, score, and possession. And at this (point guard) position, humbly speaking, nobody is a better rebounder than me.”

Westbrook’s offensive board to create Leonard’s triple may have been the biggest play of the night, but it wasn’t the only possession he left his imprint on the game.

He calmly stepped to the foul line with 17.7 seconds left after drawing a whistle on Devin Booker in the post, drilling two free throws with a raucous crowd hoping his inefficiency would carry over in that moment.

Then, on the next trip down and the Suns trailing by three, Westbrook was left on an island to defend Booker in space. He anticipated Phoenix going for a quick two instead of pulling up for a triple.

The one-on-one defense he played against Booker, among the best shot creators in the world, was sublime. After sliding his feet effectively and staying attached to Booker’s hip, it culminated with Westbrook rejecting the layup attempt — and immediately throwing the ball off Booker’s legs to reclaim possession for LA:

It was fitting that Westbrook played a stellar defensive game for the vast majority of his minutes, considering his attention to detail and defensive IQ were often questioned before he got to the Clippers.

But for him, staying alert in those moments is how he counters a poor shooting performance. He expressed how much he appreciated the coaching staff trusting him to come through when it mattered most, when they easily could have benched him and rolled with Norman Powell for more offensive production.

“My whole career, man, I’ve been priding myself every season to do everything,” Westbrook said postgame. “I think I’m one of those guys that can do everything each and every night. Whatever is needed of me to win the game, I’ll do it. I’m just grateful T-Lue and the staff believe in me regardless if my shot is falling. Allowing me to be able to make an impact on the team and winning.”

Lue, touted as a brilliant tactician within a playoff series, is also known to be a player’s coach that can communicate exactly what he needs from his guys. He knows each situation calls for something different. In Game 1, the Clippers would have fallen short if not for Westbrook’s gritty plays, veteran instincts, and unrelenting style.

Even if Lue knows Westbrook is always going to have a short-term memory when it comes to his shooting woes, he still wanted to reinforce the idea to his point guard.

“I told him during the game, I think it might have been the second or third quarter, maybe late second — your scoring is not that important,” Lue said. “Don’t get frustrated with missing shots. Take good shots, take the right shots. But you bring us way more than just scoring the basketball. So don’t let that affect your game.”

The Clippers were able to escape Phoenix with a win despite a subpar offensive showing. For that, you can credit Leonard’s superstar moments (38 points on 66.9% true shooting) and Westbrook’s aggression on defense.

Westbrook embraced the defensive challenge against a Suns unit that runs a ton of high pick-and-roll sets and hunts switches for Kevin Durant. He toggled through different matchups, guarding anyone that decided to put him into the action. According to the NBA’s data tracking, Westbrook spent 30.2% of his time on the floor guarding Booker, which made sense because Westbrook’s speed and physical nature would make it tougher for Booker to operate against. He also spent 26.6% of his minutes matched up with Durant, whether it was on the initial coverage or a switch. For the rest of his time, 23.6% of Westbrook’s minutes were spent guarding Chris Paul, with the remaining 19.6% coming mostly on switches (Ayton or Craig).

On possessions Westbrook had to defend Durant, he perfectly illustrated how to rearview contest in drop coverage when the Suns would try to attack Zubac on screen-and-rolls. It’s something Patrick Beverley mastered over the years, and Westbrook is now in that role for the Clippers. Although the height difference is often too much to overcome against Durant, it’s Westbrook’s screen navigation and recovery speed on those plays that allowed him to make KD feel uncomfortable pulling up.

“Defensively, he was great on KD,” Lue said about Westbrook’s hustle on that end. “I thought his physicality was good, he got a few offensive rebounds at the end of the game because he kept the ball alive. We got some more possessions. And the big stop on Booker at the end. So don’t get discouraged about making shots or missing shots, because you bring way more to this team than just making shots. I thought he was phenomenal tonight.”

Ivica Zubac, who also defended extremely well during Game 1 and was much more physical than Deandre Ayton, had nothing but praise for Westbrook’s defensive tenacity. After the win, Zubac credited his point guard for being quick on his feet at the point of attack, sticking with his assignment by getting around screens, and providing the spark that got them over the hump.

In a drop coverage scheme, Westbrook’s ability to funnel his man (Booker or KD) into the paint and not get buried on the initial screen allowed Zubac to quickly recover to the screener. If the guard doesn’t get around the screen or is lazy getting back, the center is usually forced to pick their poison — step up to contest a mid-ranger and let the screener sneak behind them on the roll, or give up a practice jumpshot to an unbelievable shooter.

Since the day Westbrook walked through the door at the Clippers’ practice facility, Zubac and others have repeatedly brought up the infectious energy and unmatched personality Westbrook brings to their locker room.

In Sunday’s Game 1, you could see it spill over into their defensive activity and on-court temperament. Once a team that looked lackadaisical, or wouldn’t respond well after getting punched in the mouth by top-tier shotmakers, the Clippers discovered ways to survive behind Westbrook’s do-or-die approach. Watching him play, you would never be able to tell if it’s the start of a series or a Game 7, win or go home scenario.

Phoenix couldn’t take advantage of the Clippers coming up empty on multiple possessions, and it came back to bite them in the final minutes. Now, it’s up to them to match the physicality and even up the score in the hustle department that Westbrook completely dominated in Game 1.