On February 25th, Beijing time, Westbrook finally ushered in his Clippers career debut, and he made his debut. Throughout the game, he made 7 of 13 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, 17 points, 14 assists and 5 rebounds, plus 7 turnovers and six fouls. With 15.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, he made a key shot. In the first overtime, he hit a key three-pointer. Considering that his salary is only 780,000 US dollars, for the Clippers, this performance is also quite competent.
Before the trade deadline, the Lakers sent Westbrook away, and Westbrook was sent to the Jazz, but that was not the destination after all. The call of his good brother George brought Westbrook back to Los Angeles and joined the Lakers’ rivals in the same city, the Clippers. In his debut with the Clippers, Westbrook was all smiles and his happiness was beyond words. Everyone on this team welcomes him, which makes him feel very important.
Be yourself for an epic offense
What Westbrook brought to the Clippers is first of all a gorgeous offense. After Westbrook joined, head coach Lu said that he would put the ball in his hands and let him be himself.
Westbrook failed to succeed in the Lakers and did not match James. The very important reason is that both of them need to hold the ball. In the Clippers, the team’s two super giants, whether it is Leonard or George, can play off the ball. Such a scene appeared more than once in the game, Westbrook organized an offense and suddenly scored Kajiao.
It was not only Kajiao who benefited, but Powell also received Westbrook’s cakes many times. In this way, Westbrook sent 6 assists in the first half, and the Clippers scored 80 points in the half.
80 points in the half, a new season high, the Clippers and team reporter Joey Linn said that a big reason for this is Westbrook.
Look at how crazy the Clippers’ offense was in the first half. The offensive efficiency scored 150.9 points per 100 rounds, the team’s effective field goal percentage was 73.8%, and the turnover rate was only 13.2%.
In the second half, Westbrook continued to provide assists for his teammates.He became the first Clippers player with at least 10 assists in his debut since Cassel on November 2, 2005.
At the end of the fourth quarter, Westbrook almost ended the game.With 15.2 seconds left, he turned around and made a layup, igniting the audience. The Kings dragged the game into overtime. In the first overtime, Westbrook received a pass from George and made another key three-pointer.
Unfortunately, in the second overtime, Westbrook graduated with six offenses, and he was quite depressed the moment he left the field. However, he also set a new record for assists by a Clippers debutant.
Perimeter defensive shortcomings remain
When he came to the Clippers, Westbrook’s shooting didn’t seem to be completely changed. Although he warmed up before the game and made consecutive jump shots, but,In this first show, Westbrook’s outside line was emptied by the opponent again, but when the whole team was raining three-pointers, Westbrook’s three-pointers continued to hit the iron.Although he hit a key three-pointer in overtime, Westbrook still has shortcomings on the outside.
Westbrook’s athletic ability is still there, and his air cut is the main scoring method. This game has staged beautiful passing and cutting cooperation many times. However, Westbrook, who has no outside line, will be a target for opponents in the playoffs, and may be a hidden danger for the Clippers.
In addition, Westbrook’s defense is still a big problem. The King’s All-Star guard Fox beat him up. During the game, Westbrook once defended with his eyes and watched Monk layup. This defensive habit is also quite bad.
Unhindered pepper burst
During the Lakers period, Westbrook and Zhan Mei didn’t get along well, and the three of them did not play their due dominance on the court at the same time. This season, he also became a substitute and played the sixth man in the Lakers.
Now coming to the Clippers, Westbrook showed the possibility of coexistence with Kajiao in his first show. Although the possession of the ball has decreased, Kaka and George ushered in an explosion, even more terrifying. Especially Xiaoka, he scored 21 points on 8 of 8 shots and 5 of 5 three-pointers throughout the third quarter. Throughout the game, Kaka scored 44 points and George scored 34 points. It’s no wonder that the famous mouth Perkins said that Westbrook had been playing for the wrong Los Angeles team before.Return to Sohu to see more