After just one season together, Russell Westbrook and the Denver Nuggets parted ways this past summer. Westbrook spent some time in free agency before signing with the Sacramento Kings, while the Nuggets added to their rotation with other veteran bench pieces.
It was probably for the best, but it shouldn’t take away from the positives Westbrook brought to Denver. His ability to amp up the pace, set the table for Nikola Jokic, and make clutch plays was on full display with Denver for the season. Without him, the Nuggets don’t advance vs the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
Westbrook was flawed, but that didn’t change the impact. It will be interesting to see how he responds tonight in his return to Ball Arena.
On the latest episode of Pickaxe and Roll, Ryan Blackburn goes over some early season Denver Nuggets trends he’s seeing and how they affect the team. He discusses Russell Westbrook returning to Ball Arena for the first time as a member of the Sacramento Kings. Finally, he goes over 3 things from last week and 3 things for this week.
Pickaxe and Roll is the flagship Denver Nuggets show on Mile High Sports, posting every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday (unless otherwise specified). Ryan Blackburn breaks down the Nuggets in detail, bringing news, analytics, rotations, and more into a show for hardcore Nuggets fans.
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