Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has been the center of attention amid the team’s struggles. Things hit a fever pitch following the game on Christmas night, as Westbrook, the former NBA MVP, struggled mightily against the Brooklyn Nets.
Los Angeles mounted a furious comeback, even tying the game with less than a minute remaining in the game after trailing by 23 earlier in the fourth quarter.
The former All-Star made only 4-of-20 from the field, with a missed dunk in which Westbrook was blocked by the rim with 26 seconds remaining effectively ending the comeback attempt.
Westbrook tied his own dubious record in the game, missing 11 shots in the restricted area. In the last 10 seasons that is the most misses at the rim, as he also missed that many on January 22nd, 2020 while playing for the Houston Rockets.
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It has been a struggle at times, but Russell Westbrook has reached his breaking point. In a video conference on Monday, he shared his feelings about people trying to get him to change the way that he plays with the Lakers.
“Everybody wants me to do this but then they don’t want me to do this,” Westbrook said. “Honestly, I’m over the whole situation with what everyone else wants me to do and what they think I should be doing.”
While people outside the organization have harped on him changing his approach, his teammates and coaches have been very supportive. LeBron James and David Fizdale both stood up for Westbrook following the poor Christmas performance.
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They have preached confidence and to allow Russell Westbrook to play his game. ‘Let Russ be Russ’ is something that has been said a lot and the team is doing that. Westbrook is under immense pressure, but he is doing what he does, it just doesn’t always result in a win or a monster triple-double.
“People are saying ‘let Russ be Russ,’ I think nobody understands what that means,” Westbrook continued. “I think people just say it — ‘let Russ be Russ’ — but nobody actually knows what that means but myself. And I’m gonna lean on that and make sure I do what I’m supposed to do. And let everything else outside the locker room, whatever that may be, take care of itself.”
While the critics have been louder, as they always are when playing for a marquee franchise, Westbrook has had a very productive season. Playing in all 34 games, in a season in which the NBA has already set the record for the number of players to appear in a game in a season, is very impressive.
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The UCLA product is having one of his more efficient seasons as well, which you wouldn’t know with how he is portrayed. He believes that he has played fine, and he isn’t wrong.
“Honestly, I think I’ve been fine,” Westbrook said. “The conversation has been heavily on how I’m playing and what I’m doing, but I think people are expecting me to have f—ing 25, 15 and 15, which, that is not normal. Everybody has to understand, like, that’s not a normal thing that people do consistently.”
While people want to pick on Russell Westbrook for the Los Angeles Lakers’ struggles, the finger should not be pointed only at him. Sure, he may not be the best fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and he has some flaws in his game, but he is far from the sole perpetrator in the team’s struggles.
