Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has been under fire virtually all NBA season. A lot of the team’s shortcomings have been blamed on him. While he does deserve some of the criticism, placing all of the blame on Westbrook is unfair.
He wasn’t the person that put this mismatched roster together, that would fall upon the shoulders of general manager Rob Pelinka. Westbrook is also out there virtually every game, starting 61 out of 62 games. The same cannot be said about his teammates, as everyone else on the roster has missed at least six games this season.
Westbrook’s raw statistics aren’t bad, as he is averaging 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. However, he hasn’t been very efficient and is a sieve defensively. Westbrook is 236 out of 250 in overall RAPTOR score, ranking 232 in defense and 204 in offense. Only three players, Terrence Ross, Julius Randle, and Jalen Green, have worse WAR ratings than Westbrook this season.
So, there are certain things that Westbrook is negatively impacting, but the issues with the Los Angeles Lakers run a lot deeper than one player. However, you wouldn’t always know that seeing how things are sometimes depicted.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Russell Westbrook Gets Brutally Honest About Lakers Season
Now, former legends are also pouring it on Russell Westbrook. Recently, Los Angeles Lakers’ all-time great James Worthy called Westbrook out for how he approaches each game.
“When he’s thinking a lot and passing up shots, I know he’s not knocking down shots and I think it’s because he’s hesitating. He’s thinking about it too much. “I like players who take accountability. Russ knows he can play, he just needs to play like Russ can play and stop thinking about the distractions sometimes the fans don’t give him the just he deserves.
“He’s got to let all that go and just go out and be aggressive, get to the hole, take the shot when it’s available without hesitation. “I think he can get back into a style of play that we want from him. He’s got to stop feeling sorry for himself and just go out and get rebounds, play defense and I think Russ can get back to being productive player that we need.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Russell Westbrook Gets Brutally Honest About Lakers Season
That is certainly a scathing review by Worthy, who also works in the studio for pre and post-game coverage for the team. Russell Westbrook has a very distinct style of play and how the roster is constructed doesn’t always play into his strengths.
His inability to adjust accordingly, along with some of his teammates, is ultimately what has derailed this season. The common goal of winning a title was not enough to get everyone on the same page to overcome injuries and a mismatched roster.
