Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has garnered a lot of attention since being acquired from the Washington Wizards in the NBA offseason. There has been a lot of discussions had centered around him and whether or not he could fit in with the two other stars the Lakers have in LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
It has been a rocky road thus far, but Westbrook has seen his play improve in recent weeks. Unfortunately for the team, that has not translated into more winning.
The Lakers currently have a record of 16-16 following Tuesday night’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. The Suns picked up a 108-90 victory on the back of a dominant second half in which they outscored the Lakers 54-28. They led by as many as 22 in the fourth quarter, as an early 10-point lead for Los Angeles was quickly erased.
Westbrook was one of three Lakers to score in double-figures, pouring in 22 points on 10-of-20 from the field. He also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals. Turnovers are still an issue that will sometimes plague him and they did on Tuesday, as he committed seven of them. As a team, the Lakers had 14.
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Despite the loss and lack of sustained success throughout the season, Russell Westbrook remained positive in his post-game interview. He believes the trials and tribulations that the team has and will be going through will only help them in the end.
“I’m very optimistic,” Westbrook said. “We’ve been through so much as a team already and still going through it as a unit. And the best part about, for me, just, thus far, all of the ups and downs. That’s an NBA season. The most important part is that we stay together. Never divide. Never panic. Never succumb to what the people on the outside of our team are saying. Just make sure that we stay close-knit and find ways to be able to stick together through whatever it is.”
That team-first attitude is exactly what the Lakers need right now. They are extremely short-handed and will be turning to Russell Westbrook and LeBron James to lead them in every facet of the game.
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Los Angeles is currently down five players from the league’s health and safety protocols. It was six, but Talen Horton-Tucker returned against the Suns. Kendrick Nunn remains sidelined with an injury and Anthony Davis joined him after spraining his knee last week against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In addition to the players sidelined, head coach Frank Vogel is also in the league’s protocols. David Fizdale is filling in and coaching the team in his place.
