Russell Westbrook was already a hero to many of the young Nuggets players before he joined the team in free agency this summer, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post. While they were learning to play the game, Westbrook was a star in Oklahoma City, displaying an intensity and competitiveness that was easy to admire.
“He was just a huge inspiration for me from the passion he plays with,” Peyton Watson said, “being himself unapologetically, and just being somebody who I feel like always leaves it out there on the floor. … As far back as I can remember watching basketball, really, I’ve been watching the energy and the passion that he played with, knowing that he came from damn near down the street from where I’m from (in Long Beach, California).”
Christian Braun also cites Westbrook as an important influence on his basketball development. Westbrook has already shown himself to be a good teammate to Braun on one important issue, according to Durando, agreeing to take 4 as his uniform number instead of asking for Braun’s 0 and imploring fans to “leave our young star alone.”
“Downhill. Athletic. Tough. Mean. In-your-face,” Braun says of Westbrook’s playing style. “… Those are the type of guys I loved, and I learned from.”
There’s more from Denver:
- Kevin Pelton of ESPN declined to give a grade to Jamal Murray‘s new four-year max extension, but he speculates that the Nuggets must have encouraging information about Murray’s health to agree to the deal. The contract is projected to be worth nearly $208MM and will run through the 2028/29 season. Pelton notes that it eliminates worries about Murray leaving in free agency next summer and states that it will be a wise investment if he continues to produce at the level he did last season.
- After finalizing the deal with Murray, the next step should be a long-term contract for Aaron Gordon, contends Sean Keeler of The Denver Post. Keeler sees Gordon as a perfect complement to Murray and Nikola Jokic, providing much-needed athleticism and a strong defensive presence as well as a high basketball IQ. Gordon has a $22.8MM player option for the 2025/26 season, and Keeler advises the Nuggets to work out an extension before he has the chance to test free agency.
- Denver’s media day could be among the most interesting in the league, Marc Stein states in his latest Substack article (subscriber only). In addition to Murray’s extension, topics should include how much help Westbrook can provide at this point in his career and coach Michael Malone’s rumored dissatisfaction with the front office after losing Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency in consecutive summers.