Russell Westbrook made big statement at first Wizards practice

James Harden has yet to show up to training camp with the Houston Rockets, but his former teammate Russell Westbrook is already making a strong impression with his new team.

Unlike Harden in Houston, Westbrook was present when the Washington Wizards held practice on Sunday. Chase Hughes of NBC Sports says the star point guard showed up two hours early and immediately raised the intensity level with his leadership. Wizards head coach Scott Brooks, who coached Westbrook in Oklahoma City for several seasons, said Westbrook’s new teammates may have been caught off-guard.

“I’m sure the players didn’t realize that’s what he does. You could tell everybody locked in and everybody raised their level up,” Brooks said. “They will know this was not because it was the first day. This is who he is, this is how he prepares, this is how he gets ready. He’s always like that.”

Westbrook is considered by many to be difficult to play with, but he’s widely known to be a hard worker. Brooks said he was also several hours early to practice with the Thunder. Westbrook told reporters he expects the same level of commitment from his teammates.

“Go out and compete and play hard, that’s the biggest thing. All the Xs and Os, that will come,” Westbrook said. “But playing hard and understanding what it means to compete, work hard and everything else will follow.”

Westbrook is still in search of his first NBA title, so the motivation is there. He may also be motivated to thrive with the Wizards for another reason. If all of that comes together, Washington could be getting the best version of the 32-year-old.