James Harden Defends Russell Westbrook’s Poor Play as NBA Fans Call Him Out

The Denver Nuggets haven’t gotten off to a good start to open the new season in the NBA. They fell to 0-2 on Saturday after dropping a game to the Los Angeles Clippers at home.

One of the biggest issues for the Nuggets has been the play of their bench so far. It has been a detriment, albeit, through an early sample size of games.

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But one player in particular has been extremely concerning, and that is veteran point guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook signed with the Nuggets this offseason after parting ways with the Clippers.

He was expected to give them a major boost off the bench but it has been only early season struggles for the veteran. NBA fans weighed in and called him out for his play

After the Nuggets game against Los Angeles, Clippers guard James Harden weighed in on his former teammates’ issues.

“This is his 17th year, this is my 16th year, we’re both inner city LA kids that hopefully when it’s all said and done we’ll be in the Hall of Fame,” Harden said. “That’s a story right there. I’m happy he’s happy and he’s playing well and he’s doing his thing here in Denver, so it’s always happiness when we see each other.”

Throughout his career, Westbrook has been one of the more exciting players that the NBA had to offer. But over the last few seasons, he has seen his abilities decline rapidly and it has cost him his reputation.

In 19 minutes of game action against the Clippers, Westbrook scored two points, one rebound, and two assists. This lackluster performance comes after a six-point, five-rebound, and five-assist game in the season opener.

He will be a Hall-of-Famer when all is said and done but his recent play has been troubling. His start with the Nuggets is concerning and Denver will have some tough decisions to make down the line if he continues to perform poorly.

Before the season started, Westbrook showed excitement for being in the Nuggets system. He even called out his former teams, saying that they didn’t use him the right way.

“To be honest, (my skill-set) was unique, they just didn’t put me in position to be unique. I was in a position where I was playing not my position.”

The Nuggets will have to figure something out, regarding Westbrook and their overall rotations sooner rather than later.

For more Nuggets news, make sure to head over to Newsweek Sports.