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Russell Westbrook Explains How He Mentors Kawhi Leonard, Paul George

Russell Westbrook Explains How He Mentors Kawhi Leonard, Paul George

Russell Westbrook’s fit alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the Los Angeles Clippers has been the subject of much conversation.

Obviously the 34-year-old was a square peg repeatedly being shoved into a round hole during his year-and-change stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the hope was that history wouldn’t repeat itself with the Clippers.

Thus far, the results have been mixed. The Clippers finally earned their first victory with Westbrook on the roster this past week after going winless with him for a shockingly long time – which is great. And it’s debatable whether the losing was his fault or not.

Leonard’s take on how Westbrook fit with the Clippers was telling.

It’s worth remembering that while Westbrook doesn’t get the same respect he used to these days, he is still a former league MVP. Neither Leonard nor George can say that. And because of that, he brings something to the table neither of those men do.

This week, in a conversation with the media, Westbrook broke down the sort of mentorship he can provide Leonard and George at this stage of his career.

“I already know,” he said.

“My job is to keep instilling confidence in Paul and Kawhi to do this every single night. The rest of us do our part, we’re gonna be a hard team to stop.”

LeBron James’ message about Westbrook after the Lakers traded him was telling. Ditto for Anthony Davis’ response to the move. Clearly there was some bad blood there, including on Westbrook’s part.

But the Clippers are now providing Westbrook with the opportunity to rewrite the final chapters of his story.

Instead of going out as the prima donna on-court liability he often felt like during his Lakers stint, he could go out as a champion.

Will Leonard, George and Westbrook be able to shock the world and bring home a title in 2023? One way or the other, an answer should emerge soon enough.

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Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
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