Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook has requested to come off the bench so the team’s first unit can establish continuity, according to a report by Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
Los Angeles Clippers star Russell Westbrook - the vocal leader of the team - has requested to come off bench to help the first unit establish some continuity, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. pic.twitter.com/mMNwzDZ9w0
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) November 17, 2023
Terance Mann will start in Westbrook’s place in Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets, according to Haynes.
The Clippers have lost six straight games and all five contests they have played since acquiring James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 31.
They are 3-7 overall.
Westbrook has started all 31 games he’s played in as a member of the Clippers. The last time the 35-year-old came off the bench was in his final game with the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 7, 2023.
The Long Beach, Calif. native has started 1,038 of the 1,104 games he has appeared in over the course of his 16-season NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Lakers and Clippers.
Westbrook won the 2016-17 MVP award as a member of the Thunder.