Inside The Nuggets

Denver Nuggets NBA Champion Sends Message to Russell Westbrook

The Nuggets have officially signed Russell Westbrook

Joey Linn

Apr 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) and forward Peyton Watson (8) react after a basket in the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
Apr 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) and forward Peyton Watson (8) react after a basket in the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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The Denver Nuggets have officially signed 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to a two-year contract with a player option for the 2025-26 season. Westbrook joins the 2023 NBA champions for what should be a very prominent role in their rotation.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was integral in his team landing Westbrook, as the superstar center believes it will be a great fit in Denver. Westbrook also has a relationship with Nuggets veteran DeAndre Jordan who helped lead Denver's pursuit of the nine-time All-Star.

One way Westbrook projects to help the Nuggets is with their young players, including former UCLA forward Peyton Watson who sent a message to Westbrook on X:

The pairing of Westbrook and Watson in different lineups has the potential to be incredible defensively, as the two former Bruins were among the league's best last season in defensive field goal percentage. Per the NBA's data, among all players who defended at least 450 shots last season, Watson ranked second in the league in defensive field goal percentage (42.4%), while Westbrook ranked 14th (43.6%).

Sending a message back to Watson on Instagram, Westbrook shared the following post:

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon also ranked 10th in DFG% last season, holding his opponents to just 43.3% from the field. With several of the league's top ranking on-ball defenders, the Nuggets should have the ability to really give teams trouble on that end next season.

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Joey Linn

JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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