In the wake of their ongoing fight for postseason survival, the Denver Nuggets suddenly find themselves becoming a hot topic of discussion.
Not for the first time, Russell Westbrook is at the center of attention. This time it feels a little unfair.
An article by Ramona Shelburne for ESPN tackled the highs and lows of the Denver Nuggets with Westbrook this season. One part, citing anonymous sources, hit out at the former OKC star’s character.
It was alleged an anonymous Nuggets player described Westbrook as “immature”, relating to his actions in the locker room following a loss in the series against the Clippers.
Richard Jefferson addresses Gordon-Westbrook drama
Aware of the sudden noise created by the ESPN story, teammate Aaron Gordon already hit out at the narrative about his teammate.
Former NBA star Richard Jefferson thinks that while rebuttals are fine, the leaks should never have come out in the first place.
The ex-NBA star addressed this issue on the Road Trippin’ podcast, arguing that successful teams and players keep issues in-house.
“Those aren’t championship players, in my opinion,” Jefferson said about the Nuggets.
“Because if you’ve been in those fights, if you’ve been in those battles, championship players, they keep s___ tight because they know how important it is, and how a fractured locker room, or one guy that will stop the journey.
“That’s why great players, they don’t give the media sound bites. They don’t do that. They don’t want any issues. They shut s____ down.”
The Nuggets will continue to lean on Westbrook
Before the season began, the Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon vowed that he would do whatever it takes to help the future Hall of Famer win his first NBA championship.
After a low-key start to life in Denver, the past couple of months have been a roller coaster experience, with a real low being his double-overtime blunders against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and a high coming when he ultimately helped them take down the Clippers.
Although he has struggled in the past couple of games, Westbrook is averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.2 rebounds in this second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Down in a 3-2 hole against his former team, and facing elimination, the Nuggets will continue to rely on what Westbrook can bring to the table in order to reach that ultimate title goal.
