Russell Westbrook drove the lane, found Thomas Bryant open for an easy dunk while the Washington Wizards‘ big man was fouled and then immediately ran to Bryant to scream his approval.
In his first game with the Wizards, Westbrook only logged 17 first-half minutes in Washington’s 99-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons. But his impact was felt with his energy, pace, ability to get the ball moving and draw the defense’s attention.
“You could see in the first half really how many open shots we got,” Wizards forward Davis Bertans said of Westbrook’s impact. “And how many good looks we had and it was all I would say Russ.”
“He set the tone for driving and kicking… I am pretty sure it is going to get better from here.”
After being held out of the Wizards’ first two preseason games, Westbrook played in the team’s final tuneup before the regular-season opener at Philadelphia on Dec. 23. Westbrook finished with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and shot 4-for-10, including 0-for-3 from behind the arc.
“It was good,” Westbrook said of his first game as a Wizard. “We won, the most important part… I like where we were tonight.”
“My job is to try to set the tone. Have them be ready to play.”
The Wizards saw Westbrook’s influence on offense in the ability Bradley Beal had to work one-on-one against defenders and how much the Wizards tried to push the pace. Washington led by as much as 16 and had 10 fast-break points in the first half when Westbrook played.
“It just felt great,” Beal said of playing with Westbrook. “It was great energy… I don’t think it will be tough as people are trying to make it out to be. We both do a really good job off of feeding off of each other, just adjusting to how each other plays.
“The most important thing is his pace and energy he brings to the table… it just works out well. We just continue to play off each other, feed off each other and push each other.”
While Beal missed all seven of his 3-point attempts, he scored 15 points and hit seven field goals. Beal averaged 30.5 points last season but drew the majority of opposing defense’s attention as the Wizards’ lone star.
“Our job is to make the game easier for him,” Westbrook said. “Find a way to constantly feed him the ball so he can score at a high rate. He has shown he is able to do that. He is going to be great. I am not worried about Brad one bit.”
Bryant benefited from the attention Westbrook drew, scoring 22 points and making 7-of-12 shots. And Wizards coach Scott Brooks loved seeing an animated Westbrook celebrating Bryant’s dunk with the foul and encouraging the big man in the first quarter.
“Really good,” Brooks said when asked about Westbrook’s first preseason action. “He’s been looking like that all training camp. His spirit is about winning, not about stats. He plays the right way and teaches our young fellas the right things. He’s great.
“He’s nothing short of spectacular, what he tells the guys, how he coaches his teammates and they listen. What he’s done, how he prepares and how he trains and how he looks at the game is priceless.”