I agree with this take from Draymond as we gonna Russ defence and intensity Alot in this series so either start him or Ramp up his minutes.
Draymond Green thinks the Clippers should start Russell Westbrook to defend Kyrie Irving
"At some point in this series, Ty Lue is going to have to scrap Russ off the bench and move Russ into that starting lineup in order to win this series. That's my take."
(Via… pic.twitter.com/iRcCDm4CEh
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 16, 2024
by WatermelonMan921
30 Comments
I would agree about the energy but honestly don’t think this is the time to experiment with lineups. Especially since we seen what happened with that lineup at the start. I would say to just increase his minutes
he basically saying he doesn’t want to see james or mann guard kyrie
Russ’ energy and defense were a big reason why the Clips went up 35-4 on the Suns. He plays so much better when he starts. So I wouldn’t mind Russ starting but I still think Harden has to be the closing point guard in each half.
you guys have REALLY short memories. keep this energy when russ is turning the ball over, missing layups and not being guarded because he can’t shoot. NO, this is not a russ hate post. russ IS needed in spurts. ive watched russ (and james) since the OKC days and followed both their careers very closely. russ can tank you just as quickly as he can spark you. he is a high risk player and that is the reason they even went and got james in the first place. its good to have both options.
All we gotta do is hope if Lue sees something that has potential he’s gonna utilize it, possibly similar to that recent cavs game
He might be right, honestly don’t know if I trust russ to take on a #2 option for a full series. I feel like he can lose focus, I think he’s better as kind of a roamer defensively where he can use his gifts to cause problems rather than as a primary defender but I hope I’m wrong.
I’ve also seen this “playoff harden” narrative that I’d like to put my 2 cents into, for this particular matchup in particular. When harden has struggled in playoff games most times it has been because he’s injured ( last year and 2021 with brooklynn) or when his costars got injured( rockets with CP3 and brooklynn.
I’m not expecting prime harden here or anything, but last year the dude had 2 40 balls against Smart, Tatum and jaylen brown. Without embiid, as the primary option on the sixers. When harden struggles it’s because a more athletic player picks him up full court and makes him work for 94 feet.
Assuming Pj Washington guards kawhi, DJJ guards pg, who in Dallas is going to pick up harden 94 for feet and tire him out? Kyrie and luka sure as hell aren’t doing that, and if they put one of PJ or DJJ on him kawhi or pg are going to have luka guarding them and that’s a recipe for disaster for Dallas.
Lmaoo yeah, right, and get killed with spacing.
No knock on westbrook, but he’s the best version of himself when he has the ball in his hands 80% of the time and 20% off ball.
Not 20% on ball and 80% off ball.
shouldn’t start but he should def only be playing when harden is off the floor. Harden/westbrook lineups r terrible because they are redundant together
Russ and Donkey have the same agent
Don’t take advice from a manchild who isn’t even in playoffs yet if at all
Love russ but just being honest I don’t see him playing much this series. I don’t think it’s crazy to say he will be in that 15-20 minute range. Kawhi, pg, and harden will be around 37-42 mpg, zu If he’s not played off the floor around 30 mpg, norm and mann will be in that 26-30 mpg but mann may fluctuate.
Idk about starting, but this is a series where russ should easily be playing 22-27 mins, perhaps even more. His defense on luka and kyrie will be crucial, and the energy/dirty work he brings will be the give us the edge needed to beat Dallas. There’s a reason why we went 7-2 after his return.
Lol nope
Yeah I think Ty knows what he’s doing. Draymond lol
Bruh, James is starting every game unless injured, stop posting this stuff, move on. Search up the stats yourself but Russ does not guard Luka well, he guards Luka about as good as everyone else in league, so not good enough to make a difference.
Bruh what, Russ cannot guard kyrie. I do think he’s probably our best option on luka outside of kawhi
He’s probably the second or third best player on the team when locked in, given minutes, and in the playoffs. This should be a no brainer
They are really going after us this year, lol. Fans making threads in the subreddit, hot takes from competitors, Kawhi injury lies. I like the fear.
I’d like some fluctuating in attacks on luka with russ and harden. I’d like luka to have to barricade the ball of muscle that is Russell Westbrook. and I’d also like to see luka get luka’d by harden. I’m sure both would end with fouls called. get that fat bastard out of the game they are nothing without him
Trusting Ty Lue to make these decisions. Probably should take Dray’s advice with a grain of salt. GSW still in the series…
Before or after drafting Bronny James?
Draymond should start shutting his fucking mouth.
Too many cooks in the kitchen imo. Westbrook, Harden, Kawhi and PG 4 man lineup has a net rating of – 1.9 in 166 minutes. Westbrook and Harden 2 man lineups are +1.7. While Russ 2 man lineup with either PG or Kawhi is +7.1 and +7.3 net rating. They both impact the game offensively when they are making plays. They don’t provide much value off ball on offense, so it’s best to stagger them as much as possible.
I feel like we are already used to the current lineup + feel like Harden will do great in his role this playoffs
Mitwestbrook?
It takes a former DPOY to see a future DPOY. Draymond one of the smartest players of our generation, respect!!!
Just tackle Kyrie like LeBron did to him. 😂
Draymond also said we aren’t playing well when we were 7-1 before we rested everyone and on top of that beat Cavs, Denver without Kawhi and Suns without Kawhi and harden
Lowkey i would do this to shock and throw teams off the playoffs r about mastering adjustments sometimes.
Only guard. No shoot. Guard.
Warriors should bench Draymond