After three straight games of media silence, Russell Westbrook finally spoke, but offered little insight as Denver’s losing streak hit four. Credit: DNVR Sports on YouTube
By Sam Neumann on

Russell Westbrook’s rough week hit a low point in Denver’s crushing 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Timberwolves last week.

With the game hanging in the balance, the Nuggets veteran guard missed a point-blank layup in the final seconds. He then compounded that mistake by fouling Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a desperate three-point attempt. Alexander-Walker hit two of three from the line, sealing the win for Minnesota and handing the Nuggets a gut-wrenching loss that would spiral into a four-game skid.

Westbrook left the arena without speaking to reporters after the loss to Minnesota and kept avoiding the media in the days that followed. According to Brendan Vogt of DNVR Nuggets, he declined a request to speak following Wednesday’s 113-106 loss to the Spurs.

That pattern seemingly continued after Friday’s 118-104 loss to the Warriors. It wasn’t until Sunday, after Denver’s fourth straight defeat, a 125-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers, that Westbrook finally broke his silence. But according to Altitude Sports Radio’s Darren McKee, he only spoke at all because the league required it.

Westbrook may have fulfilled his obligation, but his comments carried all the enthusiasm of a tax audit. The exchange was reminiscent of Marshawn Lynch’s infamous “I’m just here so I don’t get fined” routine during his Seattle days.

What do you guys need to clean up right now [to] get right before the end of the regular season?

“I’m not sure, to be honest.”

Your coach [Michael Malone] has mentioned the urgency of the situation to try to avoid the play-in right now. Do you feel like in this locker room there’s a sense of urgency?

“Uhhh, I don’t know, man. You know, I’m not sure.”

[Indiuble] Morris called this team one of the most resilient in the league this season. You, obviously, are able to draw from so many experiences. What can you kind of try to draw from to help this team in that situation?

“I don’t have the answer for you, man. I wish I did, but unfortunately, I don’t.”

What’s frustrating you the most right now?

“Um, I mean, probably just losing.”

Where’s the confidence that this group can figure something out in the next three games, you know, be on the right path headed to the postseason?

“Um, I hope it’s high. I can’t speak for everyone in the locker room, but my head stays high; get ready for Wednesday.”

That was it. A rough week, a string of bad losses, and a veteran guard seemingly with nothing to say — and perhaps even less to offer.

For a 17-year veteran on a team spiraling at the worst possible time, that’s not just disappointing; it’s indefensible. And for a Nuggets team desperately trying to avoid the play-in, that kind of energy might be even more damaging than the losses themselves.

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

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