LOS ANGELES-- The length of Russell Westbrook's honeymoon with the Clippers might depend upon a couple of mitigating factors.

Initially, he has more excellent gamers around him. His brand-new team has two superstars, the same as his old group. The complementary players, including those the Clippers selected up at the trading deadline, are far more experienced than those the Lakers had around him. (And there is no small paradox in the idea that the Lakers assembled a better supporting cast by trading Westbrook).

Second? It's early, and this might change, but I suspect Clippers fans will not have breakdowns each time Westbrook takes a chance that does not work, which is bound to occur frequently. That's just the type of player he is.

Plus, now that his colossal agreement has actually been bought out and he's generally playing for the veteran's minimum with the Clippers, the "are you getting what you're spending for" concern no longer uses.

The Full Russ was on display Friday night, in the course of a periodically hysterical and historical video game in between the Clippers and the Sacramento Kings, a 176-175 double-overtime Kings success-- no, that's no typo-- that was the second highest-scoring video game in NBA history. It was essentially what an All-Star Game may look like if players in fact cared. They attempted safeguarding, truthfully, however were simply overmatched.

And while Westbrook's stats weren't eye-popping on such an insane night, they were excellent considered that he 'd had just 2 days of practice with this group. He scored 17 points and, more significantly, had 14 assists, a sign that he 'd already developed on-court compatibility with Kawhi Leonard-- for example, zipping a pass from the corner to Leonard for a wide-open 3-pointer out front-- while getting where he 'd ended with Paul George from when the 2 were both in Oklahoma City. Given that Leonard ended up the night with 44 points and George with 34, this was a good indication.

" He knew enough" of the offense from two days of practice, Coach Ty Lue said. "Knowing PG's plays, understanding Kawhi's plays, that's the most important thing. He selected those things up right away. There's still a lot more that we can still include and discover on the fly. However I believed he did a good job understanding the plays and knowing the play calls, and he did a great job with it."

" What injured us was (Sacramento's) ball pressure, getting up the floor and picking up complete court. That's when we turned the basketball over. To keep him in the game and on the floor to initiate since the pressure doesn't trouble him, I thought was key for us. And it was huge. When he fouled out (with 1:49 left in the 2nd overtime), it really hurt us."

It is not insignificant that George and Leonard both lobbied for Westbrook, George especially publicly and emphatically, and if the account offered by ESPN's Brian Windhorst was accurate the two stars persuaded Lawrence Frank to offer Westbrook a shot.

Leonard avoided the question of just how much input he had, but kept in mind: "Once he got here, I simply informed him, be yourself and have a good time out there. And I simply believe in him, so (I'm) just attempting to provide him confidence and letting him understand that we're delighted to have him."

And maybe that's the bottom line: With the Lakers, frequently he was treated as a 3rd wheel, his determination to play his design and his game considered a detriment. The Clippers anticipate and motivate him to push the rate and take chances, and while it's to be figured out whether that will eventually be productive, that support in itself may be liberating.

" I'm just searching for ways to be effective while I'm on the floor and (to do) whatever's asked of me, screening or whatever, rolling, managing, whatever that might be, cutting," Westbrook stated. "And I simply try to do different things to impact the video game and (usage) my IQ to be able to make plays for others.

"… … I see a lot of things that I'm thinking about now for when I go house and see the film tonight, simply how I can be able to help make the game even more simpler for them so they don't need to work as difficult. And, you understand, we'll arrive."

He didn't make any subtle recommendations to his scenario with the Lakers-- the past is the past, right-- however the contrast was apparent. He got a good holler from a crowd revealed as a 19,068 sellout when he was presented with the beginning lineup, not as loud as Leonard and George however loud enough. And he got a standing ovation as he came off the court at the end after fouling out as recognition for a full night's work, 39:27 out of 58 possible minutes.

" I imply, it's a blessing, you know, just the excitement in the structure," he stated. "The interest from the fans and simply the assistance that they have, not just for me however for our overall group, was terrific. Not simply that, but the assistance of the company, my colleagues, the fans in general," he stated later, adding: "The support system around us was an all-time high."

Analyze that as you will. Possibly it was a subtle referral to his former team. Perhaps it wasn't.

And possibly, with a various environment, we will see a better Russell Westbrook.

Those ideas that the Clippers were crazy to take him on, or that he might be a net negative? Sure, it's the supreme little sample size of just one video game, however you question if possibly their organization knows something we do not.

jalexander@scng.com

17 points
5 rebounds
14 helps

Russ put in work as the Clippers combated a wild 2OT battle with the Kings on his launching pic.twitter.com/PJTuNxHM1x

—-- NBA (@NBA) February 25, 2023