Russell Westbrook’s impact on Nuggets transcends 22-point breakout game: “What an interesting person”

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — While most of the Nuggets were asleep or otherwise keeping to themselves during a long flight to Toronto last weekend, Russell Westbrook wandered to the back of the team’s plane and struck up a conversation with head coach Michael Malone.

There was talk of basketball, of Denver’s new-look second unit and its bumpy start to the season. But that was peripheral to Westbrook in this setting. He had already tried to make the rounds with his new teammates throughout training camp, wanting to familiarize himself with their backgrounds. Now was a chance to hear more about his coach’s.

“I do that stuff all the time, man; it’s just not seen by (the public),” Westbrook said. “… I like to learn about people, learn about their family, his kids. Basketball is whatever.”

He and Malone even ended up discussing the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a topic Westbrook had learned about during his 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, motivating him to produce a History Channel documentary called “Tulsa Burning.”

“I mean, what an interesting person Russell Westbrook is,” Malone marveled.

Westbrook’s on-court production had been secondary to the intangible impression he’s left on Denver before Tuesday, when his breakout performance sparked a team on fumes in Brooklyn. The Nuggets climbed back from a 17-point deficit to force overtime for the second time in as many nights — and as many cities. In a 144-139 win, the backup point guard amassed 22 points and five assists during regulation. Then he didn’t even need to play in overtime to ensure his relentless presence was still inescapable at Barclays Center.

With 17 seconds remaining and the game all but over, Nets veteran Dennis Schroder committed an offensive foul in the corner, directly in front of the visiting bench. Westbrook paraded out to the scene of the crime and pointed to the other end of the floor, gleefully mimicking the foul call himself. Schroder stood by, bewildered.

“It was about time the game was over and time to go get some food,” Westbrook said.

It was a vintage, idiosyncratic Russ moment, perhaps the most appropriate embodiment of his impact in Denver so far, in that it occurred away from game action and infused the roster with some fresh personality. That has been a constant, even if points and assists haven’t been.

“It’s not just about putting the ball in the hoop,” Peyton Watson said when asked if the scoring surge is what the Nuggets envisioned when they added Westbrook. “Russ does so much stuff that a lot of people would never see. … All of that stuff matters to me more than whether or not he makes or misses shots.”

The 35-year-old’s personality can be polarizing, much like his skillset. Even in the first half of this multinational back-to-back, he stirred the pot. The Nuggets were trying to chip away early in the fourth quarter when Westbrook fouled Scottie Barnes hard in mid-air to prevent a fast-break layup, prompting a confrontation between Barnes and Aaron Gordon. Toronto’s fans greeted Westbrook with boos every time he touched the ball the rest of the night. But the incident gave his team life.

Malone has been swept away by that characteristic since training camp: a seemingly unwavering energy and intensity that rivals his own red-faced fervor on the sidelines. Again, Westbrook was the source of the Nuggets’ reinvigorated sense of purpose Tuesday.

They were drained. They couldn’t stay in front of their matchups. The lowly Nets scored 40 first-quarter points. Overtime, U.S. customs and a shortened rotation were taking their toll. The Nuggets didn’t even arrive at their team hotel for this game until after 3 a.m.

But on the flight from Toronto to New York, Malone and Westbrook had briefly interacted again. This time, it was more of a work check-in, but it resonated with the 10th-year coach.

“I said, ‘Hey man, I know you’re a 17-year vet. Back-to-backs this early in the season, are you good to go?'” Malone recalls. “He goes, ‘Oh, I’m great. I’m ready for this.’ Music to my ears.”

“I’ve got my two kids that keep me wired and moving around,” as Westbrook put it, “so my energy’s always up.”

Jokic played 40 minutes for the second consecutive game, a threshold he only crossed four times during his third MVP season. Michael Porter Jr. combined for over 80 minutes between the two contests while acclimating to his role with the second unit. Gordon was fresh off double-duty as Denver’s starting power forward and backup center in Toronto.

For a team that lamented its exhaustion and maybe even over-exertion by the end of a heartbreaking Game 7 last season, a road back-to-back with both games requiring overtime wasn’t exactly the ideal formula to turn over a new leaf.

“I just hope we don’t go to overtime every game the rest of the season,” Malone joked.

Westbrook was the perfect asset for this. His jump-shooting showed early signs of being a liability last week, but his physical fitness certainly did not. He channeled tenacity into a 2-for-2 night from 3-point range and a 10-for-10 night from the foul line in Brooklyn. Behind the scenes, he was a halftime gasoline refill, oil change and car wash all in one.

“I have no problem being the bad guy, being the bad cop and getting on guys,” Malone said. “But at halftime when you’ve got a guy like Russell Westbrook speaking up and imploring his teammates about our defense — or lack thereof at that time — that is so valuable. I’m just so thankful that he’s here.”

Even after Westbrook started the season 5 for 25 from the field through three games. There will be other stretches like that, games not as seamless as Brooklyn. Malone will have to navigate those, especially if wins continue to be at a premium. But one week in, the insistent refrain from him and players has been that any peaks and valleys are outweighed by Westbrook’s loud practice outbursts of passion and the quiet moments of compassion.

“His guidance, his leadership and just the mentor he’s been for me is enough,” Watson said.

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