Watch Warriors' Interesting Defense Strategy on Clippers Star Russell Westbrook

Watch Warriors' Interesting Defense Strategy on Clippers Star Russell Westbrook

Edwin Kiplagat
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:27 PM
  • The Golden State Warriors gave Russell Westbrook special treatment on Thursday night
  • The LA Clippers point guard was ignored by the Warriors' defense, who wanted him to take a three-point shot
  • The Warriors beat Westbrook's team 115-91, leaving the veteran point guard searching for his first win with the Clippers

The Golden State Warriors and Draymond Green employed an interesting defensive tactic against LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook in their emphatic 115-91 victory.

The defending NBA champions decided to leave the former MVP wide open, daring him to shoot a three.

Russell Westbrook, NBA, La Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard
Westbrook is a 30.5 percent shooter from distance. Photos by Noah Graham/NBAE and NBA on TNT.
Source: Getty Images

That incident happened at the 6:46 mark in the first quarter, with the hosts leading 11-10. Green was supposed to guard the veteran point guard, but he ignored him on defense, daring him to shoot a three-pointer.

It is well-documented that Westbrook is not a great shooter. The hosts used that information to focus on more dangerous players like Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

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The 2017 MVP is a 30.5% shooter from deep and has received a lot of criticism in recent years for his shooting.

The triple-double king is averaging 15.8 points, six rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game in 56 NBA games this season.

What Green said about the strategy

The video went viral on social media, and Green explained the plan. Green and Kerr spoke about the plan before the game.

"We got Russ to miss some shots but I think when you have a game plan like that ... what that does to you mentally is tough," Green said. "And I think it was more so the mental than his shot. And so I thought we did a good job of sticking with the game plan and we were able to muddy the game up for them on the defensive side and it ended up working for us," via NBC Sports.

Westbrook is still adjusting to his new team. The Clippers are now 0-4 since Westbrook started playing for them.

Leonard rates Westbrook's performances

Sports Brief earlier reported on Leonard assessing the performances of Westbrook since he made his debut nearly a week ago.

The two-time NBA champion was pleased with what he saw from the 2017 MVP and believes he adds value to the team.

The veteran point guard has been a steady presence in the three games, but he's still learning to play with his new teammates.

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Edwin Kiplagat photo
Edwin Kiplagat
Edwin Kiplagat has five years of experience in journalism working as a Sports Editor at Africa Insight Communications and ESPN. Edwin Kiplagat is a Bachelor's Degree holder in journalism from the Multimedia University of Kenya.