Denver Nuggets

Brian Windhorst says he’d never let Russell Westbrook shoot 3s ever again in his career

Published by
Jesse Cinquini

Brian Windhorst insinuated that it would be in the best interest of the Denver Nuggets to not let point guard Russell Westbrook shoot the ball from behind the 3-point arc.

One aspect of the offensive end of the floor that Westbrook has never been particularly great at — even at his peak — is scoring the ball from outside the 3-point arc.

Westbrook is just a career 30.4 percent 3-point shooter, and he has never converted more than 34.3 percent of his shots from deep in a single season.

The 35-year-old is also on the heels of a season during which he was woefully inaccurate from 3-point range. Across 68 games and 11 starts with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2023-24 regular season, Westbrook shot 27.3 percent from deep on 2.3 attempts per contest.

Westbrook is also one of the worst 3-point shooters to attempt a high volume of 3s of all time. His career 3-point percentage of 30.3 percent is the 17th-worst in the history of the NBA among those with 1,000-plus attempts. Former Phoenix Suns great Charles Barkley tops that list, as he shot 26.6 percent from deep for his career on 2,020 attempts.

But while Westbrook is far from the most accurate 3-point shooter ever to play in the NBA, he still seemingly has a lot to add to a team, even at his advanced age. Westbrook made his presence felt as both a rebounder and passer with the Clippers last season, considering he averaged 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. His rebounding and passing numbers become even more impressive when one considers that he played just 22.5 minutes per contest.

Westbrook also likely won’t have to look for his shot all that often now that he is a member of the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are two of the best offensive players in the league and can help even out Westbrook’s 3-point shooting woes.

Nuggets fans should be anticipating the guard’s debut with the team. Denver’s preseason slate will begin in under a month, but the Nuggets’ season opener won’t be until Oct. 24.

Jesse Cinquini

Jesse is an aspiring sports journalist that has previously worked as a staff writer at SB Nation’s CelticsBlog and The Knicks Wall.

Published by
Jesse Cinquini

Recent Posts

Joy Taylor seemingly takes shot at Donald Trump: ‘It’s a free country for a couple more days’

The U.S. will undergo a major change next week, with Republican politician Donald Trump set…

2 hours ago

Report: Rival officials believe Cavs’ interest in Cam Johnson is ‘more serious’ than just due diligence

The Cleveland Cavaliers have done more than enough to catch the attention of the NBA…

2 hours ago

‘We don’t want him back’: Sources close to Heat locker room get ready for Jimmy Butler’s return

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is eligible to return from his seven-game suspension on Friday…

3 hours ago

Evan Mobley feels like there is ‘more to come’ for him as a shooter: ‘My confidence keeps going up and up’

Cleveland Cavaliers fans have to be thrilled with the progress that big man Evan Mobley…

1 day ago

Lions head coach Dan Campbell shares one non-negotiable for his players: ‘You either have it or don’t’

The Detroit Lions were one of the best teams in the NFL in the 2024…

1 day ago

Former Nets player criticizes Jimmy Butler for complaining about accounting issue with Heat

The apparent deterioration in Jimmy Butler's relationship with the Miami Heat has been well-documented, but…

1 day ago