3 Russell Westbrook replacements the Nuggets should have on speed dial after brutal start

In perhaps the most predictable twist of all time, 35-year-old Russell Westbrook has struggled to positively impact winning on the Denver Nuggets. To be more precise, Westbrook has ranked among the worst regular rotation players in the NBA, completely tanking Denver's razor-thin bench unit.

Through five games, Russ is averaging 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on .244/.200/.792 splits in 20.8 minutes. Those are the real shooting splits, folks. His 39.6 true shooting percentage is comically low. We know not to trust small sample sizes, but this has been the trend with Russ for a while now. He's too erratic with his shooting and his decision-making to consistently elevate a winner (or even a loser).

Nikola Jokic made a plea to the Nuggets front office to sign Russ this summer, but it's not working. Point blank. He shouldn't be on the floor and he absolutely shouldn't be in Denver's long-term plans. And by long-term plans, I mean he shouldn't survive past the trade deadline as the Nuggets' primary backup point guard.

The Nuggets still need shot creation in the backcourt, especially with Jamal Murray on the struggle bus, but Westbrook isn't the dependable source of offense this team needs. Here are a few potential backup point guard replacements for Denver to dial up.

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3. Markelle Fultz is just waiting for the Nuggets to take a chance on him

If the Nuggets are going with the 'shooting be damned' approach to backup point guard minutes, might I suggest former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz? The one-time Orlando Magic starter hasn't been able to latch on with a new team after his injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign. At 26 years old, it seems as though Fultz's leash has run out at the professional level.

That seems a bit silly. The season before last, when he was healthy, Fultz was a productive starting point guard, averaging 14.0 points and 5.7 assists as Orlando's primary facilitator. He has never been perfect — not in the NBA, at least — but Fultz's length, dexterity, and court vision is a special concoction. He's a genuine marvel at times with the ball in his hands.

Fultz can't shoot much, but he's still a potent slasher with the quickness, ball-handling craft, and finishing touch to wreak havoc on drives to the basket. Fultz can extend for awkward-angle layups, throw on the breaks for a short-range pull-up, or collapse the defense before rifling a pass to the open shooter. For all the issues Fultz has had in the scoring department since his ill-fated NBA debut in 2017, the passing chops have never been in doubt. He's a selfless, creative playmaker for teammates.

Factor in quality defense, which Russ does not provide, and there's not much of an argument against signing Fultz to the minimum and at least seeing what he can provide to the Nuggets' second unit. Nikola Jokic tends to elevate his teammates. Fultz would benefit from such a versatile frontcourt partner, capable of spacing out to the 3-point line or rapid-fire processing on the short roll.

2. Nuggets should keep tabs on late-career Nets breakout Dennis Schroder

The Brooklyn Nets are 3-3, fueled in large part by the mind-boggling output of Dennis Schroder. The journeyman vet is off to the best start of his career, averaging 22.0 points and 8.0 assists on .517/.537/.870 splits in 35.0 minutes. Obviously certain elements of that stat line are unsustainable, but Schroder is coming off an electric Olympics run. It's clear he can still provide meaningful minutes to an NBA contender.

As some point, Brooklyn is going to fall into the Cooper Flagg race as intended. When that happens, there will be next to no incentive to keep the 31-year-old Schroder on the roster, much less in such a prominent role. The Nets don't want to win too many games this season and Schroder might be working against that ultimate goal.

So, with Schroder in the last year of his contract, expect a trade by the deadline. Schroder offers some of what once made Russ special — rim pressure, downhill creation — without all the fuss and nonsense. Denver can trade Westbrook's erratic, ill-planned drives into traffic for deliberate, slippery attacks from Schroder, who can faze in and out of gaps to find a good angle to the basket.

Schroder would presumably come off the bench in Denver, but there's a nonzero chance he's playing starting minutes in the postseason. The Nuggets would benefit from such a dynamic, spritely playmaking force next to Jokic. This Denver offense is pretty much dead in the water when Jokic isn't carrying the load. Schroder would provide a long overdue pick-me-up.

1. Spurs' Chris Paul is the veteran backup the Nuggets should've wanted all along

The San Antonio Spurs landed Chris Paul on a modest one-year contract in free agency, giving Victor Wembanyama the pick-and-roll savant he lacked as a rookie. The Spurs' offense still needs work, and CP3 isn't the dynamic on-ball engine he once was, but San Antonio has plainly benefited from Paul's leadership on and off the court.

Maybe the Spurs want to win a few more games this season with Wemby taking off into the stratosphere, but the truth of the matter is that San Antonio would benefit from tanking and adding at least one more elite-level prospect to this burgeoning core. Cooper Flagg? Ace Bailey? Dylan Harper? In the Spurs' developmental system, next to Wemby? Golly, what a thought.

As such, there's a good chance CP3 becomes available to the highest bidder at the trade deadline. There's something poetic about the idea of Paul taking Westbrook's job in Denver. Russ has earned every bit of love and respect that he gets, but his career is clearly in retrograde. So is Paul's career, to be fair, but CP3 has aged far more gracefully. Never all that dependent on athleticism, Paul can still manipulate defenses with his handle and his eyes, plodding through productive pick-and-roll possessions more successfully than your average 25-year-old.

Paul wouldn't provide the same scoring punch as someone like Schroder, but his endless well of experience and fiery leadership would benefit a Nuggets team that feels asleep at the wheel. Denver needs somebody to yell at folks in the huddle and create a little havoc on the floor. Paul can oblige, all while forming a productive two-man rapport with Jokic.