3 players Knicks should avoid signing in buyout market

2: PG Russell Westbrook

Watching the way Russell Westbrook’s career has unfolded over the last couple of seasons has been very sad to watch. While the entirety of Westbrook’s downfall may not be entirely his fault, as a poor fit with the Lakers was obvious from the start, it’s still very clear that he is not close to the same player he used to be.

Not only has Westbrook easily been worse than Immanuel Quickley this season, but he just wouldn’t be worth running as the backup point guard, thus shifting Quickley to the two-guard spot. Westbrook’s complete inability to shoot, combined with his poor defense makes him a bad fit for the Knicks in general, let alone off the bench.

Westbrook has been coming off the bench for the majority of this season, only having started in three games thus far. In those games, Westbrook averaged 15.9 points, 7.5 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 turnovers. While these incredibly basic box score numbers may paint Westbrook as a great player, his efficiency immediately ruins this perception, as he is shooting 41.7% from the field and 29.6% from three on 4.1 attempts.

Honestly, even with the struggles that Miles McBride has had this season, I think it would be better to play him compared to Westbrook. Westbrook is the better player, but the defense McBride plays alongside the fact that, unlike Westbrook, McBride doesn’t constantly force things offensively that kill a possession, makes for a much better fit.

With teams like the Bulls and Clippers being suitors for Westbrook, it is more likely that someone else will make a much stronger push for Westbrook than the Knicks. Regardless, Westbrook is simply another player the Knicks shouldn’t even try to sign.