Anthony Davis delivered a strong message of support for his struggling Los Angeles Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook, who was benched overtime against the New York Knicks on Saturday.
In what was one of his worst games as a member of the Lakers, Westbrook finished the game with five points on 1-for-10 shooting with six assists and four turnovers. He also missed two crucial free throws in the fourth quarter that played a big part in the Knicks coming back and forcing OT.
Davis believes it was Westbrook’s hesitation and overthinking that led to the night spiraling out of control.
“He’s just got to stay out of his own head, just gotta continue to play and do the little things,” Davis told reporters after the game. “When I was going through the whole little thing when I wasn’t playing well, I tried to always do the little things for our team, the intangibles. That kind of gets you going, gets you in a rhythm. That’s what he has to do.”
Davis, LeBron James to Stay in Westbrook’s Ear
As Davis mentioned, he has had his own struggles at times this season but has come on strong after his latest stint on the sideline due to injury. Of course, it’s a little different for Westbrook, who is getting booed by fans in his own building. However, Davis reiterated that they have Westbrook’s back and just want him to be himself.
“Just stay in his ear,” Davis told reporters after the game. “It can be frustrating. The fans obviously want to see him play better. But one thing you can’t do is put too much pressure on yourself. You got to go out there and play freely. There were some shots tonight that he usually takes in rhythm, and he kind of passed up or hesitated. [LeBron] was just telling him, like ‘We don’t care if you miss every one, just play. Shoot your rhythm shots. Don’t hesitate.’ Obviously, it’s easier said than done, just because when you’re in it you don’t want to be missing shots. I mean, he doesn’t try to miss. A lot of the shots he takes are shots he can make.”
James delivered a similar sentiment on Westbrook, urging the former MVP to trust his instincts on the court.
“With what he’s done in this league, he should never second guess himself,” James said of Westbrook, who has the most triple-doubles in NBA history. “He’s a big-time player and I have the utmost confidence in his ability.”
Anthony Davis on picking up Russell Westbrook: “He’s got to stay out of his own head.” Says he and LeBron told him not to hesitate while out there, which he did a few times.
Westbrook Just Happy Lakers Won
Westbrook was not pleased about the benching and didn’t move from the end of the bench to join the Lakers in the huddle after he was told about it. After the game, Westbrook was clearly still agitated by the benching but just wants the team to keep winning.
“When I play bad you guys ask me a s–t ton of questions, and then when I shoot the ball really well, I don’t really hard too many of those questions,” Westbrook told reporters. “So I don’t want to keep making it about me and what I’m doing. Like, we won the game tonight and that’s the most important part. As far as basketball, there’s going to be off nights.”
At 26-28, the Lakers are looking to go on a bit of a run before the All-Star Break. However, that won’t be easy, with matchups against the Warriors, Jazz and Bucks on the docket.
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Lakers Star Anthony Davis Gets Brutally Honest on Russell Westbrook