Russell Westbrook was Christian Braun sort of participant.

“Downhill,” he says now. “Athletic. Powerful. Imply. Frank.”

Westbrook was a younger star in Oklahoma Metropolis, main the Thunder to the NBA Finals. Braun was an aspiring basketball participant within the Kansas Metropolis suburbs, lower than 5 hours away. How formidable is he, precisely?

“Um, I might have been younger,” he mentioned in July, as if calculating his actual age would make him blush.

Eleven years previous. Braun was 11 years previous.

However he was already changing into the basketball junkie he’s at present. And Russ was changing into a basketball star that each child of Braun’s technology cherished. His depth was infectious, his rhythmic experience intoxicating. His followers had been as rabid as his on-court persona.

“These are the sort of guys I favored,” Braun mentioned, “and realized from.”

Braun is greater than twice his age then, and in a coincidence, Westbrook refers to him as “our younger star” in his social media posts. About 9 hours from Overland Park, Kansas, and 10 hours from Oklahoma Metropolis, they’re NBA teammates in Denver.

By the point Westbrook formally signed with the Nuggets in late July, his new teammates had had loads of time to course of the information, which required a prolonged sequence of trades. Buying the previous MVP winner at this stage of his profession was a unprecedented transfer, and it’ll elevate questions on Westbrook’s position, expectations and age.

However there’s one other aspect to all this, a human aspect: Having Russell Westbrook as a teammate is simply nice for the various younger gamers on Denver’s roster who grew up watching him.

“He is been an enormous inspiration to me, simply due to the eagerness he performs with,” Peyton Watson advised the Denver Submit, “he is unapologetically himself and he is somebody who I believe all the time brings his greatest to the sphere.”

Watson and Westbrook share the identical hometown: Lengthy Seashore, California. They share the identical college: UCLA. Russ performed there for 2 years and Watson for one 12 months. Westbrook has been Watson’s mentor for years, texting him repeatedly and giving him recommendation.

“Ever since I began watching basketball, I’ve all the time watched the power and keenness he performs with, understanding he got here from the identical road as me,” Watson mentioned in July. “I performed towards Leuzinger Excessive in highschool, and that’s precisely the place he went.”

Watson was 9 years previous when Westbrook and the Thunder reached the NBA Finals in 2012. On the time, Westbrook was averaging 27 factors and 6.6 assists, together with a 43-point recreation. Again then, OKC fell brief towards a deep Miami group. Westbrook failed to come back again. He is nonetheless on the lookout for his first profession title, the cherry on prime of his Corridor of Fame profession.

Denver was an apparent draw, particularly with a three-time MVP Nikola Jokic offers his blessing to the connection Behind the scenes. He wasn’t the one participant desperate to pursue that path, although. Veteran backup middle DeAndre Jordan was most not too long ago Westbrook’s teammate on the Lakers, making him a well-recognized and helpful face. As for Watson: “I’m very shut with Russ,” he advised The Submit. “I had a couple of conversations with him earlier than we noticed whether or not or not this commerce was going to occur.”

Westbrook, who has worn No. 0 for many of his profession, will change to No. 4 in Denver. He not too long ago took to Instagram to make clear that he was proud of Braun protecting No. 0, imploring followers to “depart our younger star alone.” Braun is ready to be a starter for the Nuggets this season after the lack of guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free company.

“I really like his recreation. I cherished his recreation once I was younger. I really like his recreation now,” Braun mentioned of Westbrook. “I believe his power, his tenacity, these are all issues that each group wants. He loves the sport. He performs it with the suitable depth. … The best way he performs, downhill, so aggressive, so exhausting.”

Russell Westbrook (0) of the LA Clippers during the first half of the NBA game at Footprint Center on April 09, 2024 in Phoenix. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Russell Westbrook (0) of the LA Clippers in the course of the first half of the NBA recreation at Footprint Heart on April 09, 2024 in Phoenix. (Photograph by Christian Petersen/Getty Photos)
Share.
Leave A Reply