Nuggets' Russell Westbrook climbs history books despite coming off bench
11/11/2024 05:18 PM
It turns out all of the panic around the Denver Nuggets was a bit premature. After an 0-2 start where the Nuggets legitimately looked like one of the worst teams in the NBA, they have turned things around in a hurry.
Michael Malone and company have won five games in a row and seven of their last eight to launch themselves right back toward the top of the Western Conference. Nikola Jokic has looked like an MVP candidate, Michael Porter Jr. has started to play better, and the Nuggets’ young pieces have started to grow into the roles they’re being asked to play.
Russell Westbrook has also played some good basketball over the last few weeks after a few bad games to open the season. The former Oklahoma City Thunder star continues to make NBA history while serving as the Nuggets’ sixth man as well. After a 10-assist outing on Friday night against the Miami Heat, Westbrook now has the seventh-most games with 10 or more assists off the bench in NBA history, according to StatMamba.
Westbrook has started to build chemistry with Jokic and the rest of the Nuggets’ supporting cast, and also filled in as the starter while Jamal Murray was out with a concussion. If the two sides can continue to build and improve together, maybe the Nuggets can be the first team to get Westbrook to fully click in a supporting role.
Nikola Jokic dominating on Nuggets’ win streak
The Nuggets’ recent hot streak has been largely fueled by their MVP, who looks like he will be a strong candidate for the award once again in 2024-25. Nikola Jokic has been the best player in the NBA through 10 games, and is the main reason that the Nuggets find themselves near the top of the Western Conference even after a disastrous first few games.
For the season, Jokic is averaging 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game. He is currently leading the league in both rebounds and assists while shooting over 56% both from the field and from the 3-point line. Jokic also already has six triple-doubles, including four games in a row with one, so his multifaceted skillset has been on full display.
Sunday night may have been Jokic’s best performance yet. While locked in a close duel with the Dallas Mavericks, who were benefiting from a crazy night of their own from Kyrie Irving, Jokic continued to make play after pay with both his scoring and his passing. He finished the game with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 15 assists on 13-for-21 shooting. On a night where some of the Nuggets role players didn’t bring their best, Jokic’s dominance lifted them over the top.
Another MVP would be Jokic’s fourth award in the last five seasons, which would be a ridiculous feat not seen since LeBron James in the late 2000s and early 2010s, but it feels like he’s going to be right in the mix once again if he’s able to stay healthy. If he does that and the Nuggets keep winning, it could be hard not to vote for him once again.
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