Former NFL safety compares Russell Westbrook to Lamar Jackson citing inability to compete in ‘emotional’ head to heads
Following Lamar Jackson's loss to Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs in Thursday's season opener, he has been compared to Russell Westbrook's reputation by former NFL safety Ryan Clark.
Clark shared his criticism of the two-time NFL MVP on Friday's episode of ESPN's "Get Up" by mirroring the two athletes' impressive accolades and shortcomings when the games matter most.
The Denver Nuggets guard is no stranger to individual accolades, which basketball fans were accustomed to seeing during the peak of his career. While Lamar Jackson remains an MVP-caliber player, Clark argued that he has seen that kind of production from a player who came up short in delivering needed victories.
Russell Westbrook has failed several times in leading his team to a deep postseason run as the number one option. He enters the 2024-25 NBA season at 35 years of age and is no longer the electric athlete he once was despite still being a quality contributor on the court.
"Lamar Jackson right now is like Russell Westbrook," Clark said. "We watched Russell Westbrook throughout the regular season ... have these great statistical games. ... when he and Dame Lillard went head-to-head and it got emotional, he couldn't make a shot. ... That's the difference right now between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes."
2012 was the last time Westbrook competed in the NBA Finals. He was close to his second appearance back in 2016 when his Thunder squad was up 3-1 against the Warriors. However, they weren't able to take advantage of their series lead as Golden State clawed their way back to send OKC home in the conference finals.
Denver Nuggets president shared the reasoning behind the Russell Westbrook acquisition
The 2023 NBA Champions acquired Russell Westbrook on July 26 on a two-year veteran minimum deal. Nuggets president Josh Kroenke revealed what the reasoning behind the move was during an interview with The Denver Post's Bennett Durando in August.
"I'm very grateful to have him on our side," Kroenke said, "... he'll be a very good addition for us both on and off the court, especially with some young guys we're hoping will take on bigger roles this year. Russ has seen it all, in and out of the NBA, so he'll be a big part of who we are both in the locker room and on the court."
Westbrook played 68 games with the LA Clippers last season and averaged 11.1 points (45.4% shooting), 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists off the bench. Now in the twilight of his career, the nine-time NBA All-Star is viewed as a valuable veteran presence on a championship-caliber team like the Nuggets.