The Denver Nuggets might’ve fired both their head coach and general manager right before the start of the NBA playoffs, but the standard for winning in Denver hasn’t changed. It hasn’t even been two full years since the Nuggets were last crowned NBA Champions, and they’ll start that journey to try and get back there against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.

While players like Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. were all a part of the last title in Denver, some new faces future on the current roster. One of those is former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, who now serves as a key veteran leader off the bench. In Game 1 against the Clippers, Westbrook added another accomplishment to his Hall of Fame resume.

Congrats to @russwest44 of the @nuggets for moving up to 20th on the all-time playoff assists list! #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google pic.twitter.com/iqO0dDjCJp

— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2025

With two assists, Westbrook surpassed NBA Hall of Famer Maurice Cheeks to move into 20th on the all-time playoff assists list. Westbrook sits behind several active players on the list: Draymond Green, James Harden, Chris Paul, and LeBron James.

While Westbrook has only reached the NBA Finals once in his career, back with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he’s consistently been a playmaker for whatever team he’s played for. In four of his playoff appearances, he led the playoffs with the highest per-game assist average and holds a 7.0 assists per game average across 122 playoff games entering Saturday.

Russ cashes the triple for an 11-0 Nuggets run!

LAC-DEN | Game 1 on ESPN pic.twitter.com/c4p9ETQdaa

— NBA (@NBA) April 19, 2025

Even though he’s no longer the MVP-level talent he once was, Westbrook’s role as the sixth man for Denver is vital to their success.