The wait is over for Russell Westbrook, as the former MVP has finally found a new home. Earlier this week, it was announced that he had agreed to join the Sacramento Kings on a one-year, veteran minimum contract, and today, the two sides made it official, marked by a post to the Kings’ social media.

The post was simple: “Welcome to the 916, @russwest44 👑.” After a summer of uncertainty for the nine-time All-Star, the signing has him locked in on NBA basketball for his 18th season. Westbrook reposted the announcement on X and added the caption, “LIGHT THE BEAM #whynot.” The post radiated his trademark energy and broke the silence with a burst of confidence.

“Light the Beam” refers to a new movement from the Kings, started in that magical 2022-23 season when they made the playoffs as the #3 seed. After every win that season, the Kings would shoot out a bright purple light from the arena, and adopted it as a slogan for success.

The signing is a statement move for a Kings roster looking to keep competing for a playoff spot after breaking the longest playoff drought in the league in 2023. After last season’s loss in the play-in tournament following All-Star De’Aaron Fox’s exit, Sacramento has doubled down on veteran experience to raise its ceiling. Apart from the Westbrook deal, they also brought in veteran guard Dennis Schroder on a three-year, $45 million contract.

Last year, for the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook played a crucial role as he came off the bench, ranking seventh in the Sixth Man of the Year race for the second year. In the playoffs, Russ helped Denver advance past his former team, the LA Clippers, especially in game 7, where he scored 16 points off the bench and five steals, rebounds, and assists. After the season, he underwent surgery to repair ligament tears in his right hand.

For the Kings, Westbrook will likely fill a backup role behind Schroder, helping the secondary unit. GM Scott Perry has acquired a lot of reinforcement to ensure they don’t need to play scoring phenom Malik Monk at point guard, requiring him to be a playmaker. With Russ on the team, Sacramento has filled all 15 roster spots, and their roster is finalized ahead of their regular season opener against the Suns on 22nd October.

How Russell Westbrook Fits Into Sacramento’s Offense

On the Zach Lowe Show, Lowe and guest Steve Nash discussed the Westbrook signing, evaluating Russ’ potential contributions, even if his style of play doesn’t fit into the modern molds of spacing. “Of course, he can help them,” Nash said, highlighting that Westbrook’s instincts can still shift games.

“Russ is going to find a way to impact games, whether it’s his cutting, an offensive rebound, or the odd ISO still there to be able to catch and go and attack a closeout.”

But Lowe pointed out that fitting Sac-Town‘s offensive pieces together requires much work. “DeMar needs the ball and doesn’t shoot threes. Lavine needs the ball and does shoot threes. Schroder needs the ball. Russ needs the ball. Monk needs the ball. Sabonis needs the ball,” Lowe said as he laid out the puzzle.

However, he highlighted one aspect of Westbrook’s game that can relieve some of these issues: his tempo. “One cure for a so-so shooting team is just run like hell so your spacing doesn’t even matter.” Essentially, if the Kings can fully tap into Russ’ speed, they can take advantage of defenses not being set.

Nash and Lowe came to the same question: Westbrook should play, but with whom? “They’re going to have to come up with some interesting lineups,” Nash admitted. The pair noted that a lineup of Russ and Sabonis next to three reliable shooters, like Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, and Zach LaVine, “could be interesting.”

This puzzle will test head coach Doug Christie, and only time will tell if their Westbrook addition pays off.