“This is Russell Westbrook’s Best Chance”: Charles Barkley Claims Kawhi Leonard And Paul George Give Brody His Best Championship Odds

Into his 15th season now, Russell Westbrook – much like Charles Barkley in the 90s – is thirsting for a championship more than ever.

Russell Westbrook has joined the LA Clippers after clearing waivers with the Utah Jazz. His spell with the LA Lakers lasted for over 1 and a half seasons. It was not plain sailing at all, to say the least.

Westbrook played with perhaps the worst spacing he’s ever had during his time with Lakers Nation. Consequently, teams would sag off 5 feet from him, daring him to take and make jump shots.

Westbrook would take the bait more often than not, recording some of the worst efficiency figures in the NBA. Moreover, his propensity for stupid turnovers often broke the Lakers’ momentum. There was quite a lot of Westbrook trade noise even during his first season.

Lakers are 1-8 without Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/RavEJHu9N4

— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) February 14, 2023

Also Read – “Stop Benching Russell Westbrook In The 4th”: Lakers Players Reportedly Disagree With Lack Of Play For Brodie

The Lakers tried to make the best of it by playing Russ off the bench. However, that didn’t change their fortunes by much. Their win-loss record during the Russ era still remained below .500. Practically everyone knew it was time for a change. It came through on deadline day.

Charles Barkley comments on Russell Westbrook and his fit with the Clippers

Speaking as a panelist on Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley seems higher on how well Russell Westbrook fits on the Clippers than most NBA fans. According to him:

“I think a couple of things. This is his best chance to win a championship…you know I love Russ. I think having Tyronn Lue on the sideline is really important.”

“Having Kawhi and Paul George, like, you don’t have to be the guy. He’s gonna be coming off the bench. But the anger he has towards the Lakers – cuz they really screwed him in LA. They blamed him for everything.”

“That team they had last year, it was trash. It was flat-out trash. They blamed Russ for everything. He’s gonna be angry, it’s gonna be great to watch. And this is his best chance to win a championship.”

“This is [Russell Westbrook’s] best chance to win a championship. … He’s going to be angry, it’s going to be great to watch.”

Chuck on Westbrook’s impact on the Clippers pic.twitter.com/1s9sCOj1vA

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 24, 2023

Also Read – “Everyone Needs to Do Better, Russell Westbrook”: Phil Handy Fires Back at Brodie For Demanding More from Coaching Staff

What are the Clippers’ championship chances with Westbrook?

The Clippers have consolidated some of their weak spots on the roster during the trade deadline. They added Eric Gordon, Mason Plumlee and Bones Hyland – all capable of playing playoff minutes.

Getting Russell Westbrook allows them the luxury of a true point guard for the first time since Chris Paul left the team. Although the Brody has always been a shoot-first guard, that can’t possibly be his role on these Clippers teams.

In Kawhi, PG-13, Marcus Morris, Terance Mann, Eric Gordon and Norman Powell, they have a bunch of spacers around Westbrook to get the best out of him. Ivica Zubac is also an excellent roll man.

Things can really get pretty interesting if Westbrook capitalizes on this fit.