Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving praised Los Angeles Clippers point guard Russell Westbrook on his latest Instagram story. The two NBA stars have a lot of respect for each other.
Westbrook is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He has career averages of 22.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.4 assists with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. Westbrook is the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (198)
A future Hall of Famer, Westbrook has made nine All-Star teams and nine All-NBA teams. The UCLA product is a two-time scoring champion and three-time assists champion and won the 2016-17 MVP Award with the Thunder. Westbrook has averaged a triple-double for an entire season four different times.
Westbrook signed a two-year, nearly $8 million contract with the Clippers this summer in free agency. Los Angeles president Lawrence Frank was impressed with Westbrook’s urgency, intensity and professionalism last season.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS:Â Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks & Los Angeles Clippers Updates
“In the two months Russ spent with the team, he was everything we hoped he would be and more,” Frank said on July 7. “He made a huge impact on the court with his play and off it with the urgency, intensity, and professionalism he brings to the gym on a daily basis.”
Westbrook began the 2022-23 season with the Lakers. He was traded to the Utah Jazz at the February trade deadline and waived by Utah. The NBA legend joined the Clippers as a free agent after getting waived by the Jazz and averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists in 21 games with Los Angeles.
The Clippers faced the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Kawhi Leonard only played in Games 1 and 2 and Paul George missed the entire series, so Westbrook’s usage rate went up. Westbrook averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 boards and 7.4 assists in the Suns series, but it wasn’t enough to help the Clippers win, as Phoenix won the series in five games.
The Clippers went 11-10 with Westbrook in the lineup last season. It will be fascinating to see how many games Los Angeles wins next season with Leonard, George and Westbrook playing together.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS:Â Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks & Los Angeles Clippers Updates
Irving re-signed with the Mavericks this summer on a three-year, $126 million contract. The NBA champion averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 20 games with Dallas last season. Irving finished the 2022-23 season with averages of 27.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists with the Nets and Mavericks.
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