BROOKLYN, N.Y. — While most of the Nuggets were asleep or otherwise keeping to themselves during a long flight to Toronto last weekend, Russell Westbrook wandered to the back of the team’s plane and struck up a conversation with head coach Michael Malone.
There was talk of basketball, of Denver’s new-look second unit and its bumpy start to the season. But that was peripheral to Westbrook in this setting. He had already tried to make the rounds with his new teammates throughout training camp, wanting to familiarize himself with their backgrounds. Now was a chance to hear more about his coach’s.